FISH OIL Supplements Found To Set Off Irregular Heartbeats

(From The USA Today -- By Steve Sternberg)

FISH OIL SUPPLEMENTS could trigger potentially deadly heart rhythms in people whose hearts already beat dangerously out of sync, doctors report today.

The finding, from a study of 200 patients with implanted defibrillators that shock the heart back to a normal rhythm, surprised researchers who expected to find that fish oil guards against rhythm abnormalities in patients who need protection most.

The heart gets its pumping power from cells that fire in sequence as electrical charges race from one cell to another. Rhythm disturbances occur when these circuits misfire, causing the heart to beat out of sync and lose its pumping power. The result can be death caused by a kind of electrical storm rather than the clogged arteries that cause "standard" heart attacks.

Four previous studies have shown that fish oils cut the risk of fatal heart rhythm problems, called arrhythmias, in patients who had had standard heart attacks.

The research team chose to test fish oil in patients who were prone to arrhythmias because any benefits probably would be obvious and apply to a lot of people. About 150,000 people each year receive implanted defibrillators.

Fish Oil Supplements Found To Set Off Irregular Heartbeats