Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Arrhythmogenic Mechanisms in Animal and Isolated Organ/Cell Culture Studies. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 92

摘要

Epidemiological studies and clinical trials have reported beneficial effects of fish or fish oil consumption on cardiovascular disease outcomes including sudden death and arrhythmia. The mechanisms of this reported benefit are, however, unclear. As one component of a series of reports on the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular disease, we also performed a systematic review of the literature on whole animal and isolated organ and cell culture studies to assess the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on arrhythmogenic mechanisms and outcomes. We searched Medline, Embase, Biological Abstracts, and Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau databases for potentially English language studies. We screened over 1,807 abstracts and retrieved 295 full text articles. Eighty-six studies met our inclusion criteria and provided data to address the key questions in this report. We used comparative studies of whole animal, isolated organ and cells derived from omega-3 fatty acid-fed animals, and isolated organ and cell culture studies, in which the studies quantified the amount of omega-3 fatty acid in the intervention, to assess the effects of the interventions on arrhythmogenic mechanisms and outcomes.