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Hearts of Senior Citizens Benefit from Fish, Soy Oil
April 12, 2005 - Taking daily supplements of fish
or soy oil may improve cardiac function and protect against heart
attacks in the short-term for senior citizens. The researchers of
elderly patients say their results are the first to show soy oil
increases heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of cardiac autonomic
function.
Our findings contradict the current belief in the
medical community that increasing the intake of omega-3 fatty acids
produces only long-term cardiac benefits, said the studys lead author,
Fernando Holguin, MD, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
In fact, our study group showed improvements in heart function in as
little as two weeks.
Researchers from Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and
Cuernavaca, Mexico, took the HRV of 58 elderly patients every other day
for two months to establish an HRV baseline for each participant. For 11
weeks, half of the study participants took a daily 2 g supplement of
fish oil, which contains marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids, and the
other half took a daily 2 g supplement of soy oil, which contains
plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids.
The omega-3 fatty acids improve heart function by
providing greater variability between beats, therefore reducing the risk
of arrhythmia and/or sudden death. Heart rate variability is measured by
high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) domain components and
standard deviation of normal RR intervals (SDNN). Those who received
fish oil experienced a significant increase in total HF and LF domain
components and SDNN. Patients who received soy oil experienced a
marginally significant increase in HF and LF domain components and a
significant increase in SDNN.
Reduced HRV predicts mortality and arrhythmic
complications in patients who have had a heart attack, as well as those
who are considered healthy, said Dr. Holguin. Taking a daily
supplement of fish or soy oil may help reduce the risk of suffering an
adverse cardiovascular event, such as arrhythmia or sudden death,
specially in persons with known cardiovascular disease or at increased
risk for it, such as those with lipid disorders, advanced age,
hypertension, a history of smoking, and family history of heart
disease.
Researchers also discovered that while patients in
both groups experienced a significant increase in HRV, those who took
the fish oil supplements achieved a greater increase in a shorter time
period. Patients who received fish oil experienced increased HRV within
the first 2.7 weeks, whereas it took 8.1 weeks for a significant
increase in HRV to be seen in the group taking soy oil.
None of the study participants experienced
significant negative side effects, but 41% of participants in the fish
oil group reported belching, compared to 16% in the soy oil group.
Studies like this demonstrate that there are
additional approaches we can take to protect ourselves from heart
attacks, said Paul A. Kvale, MD, FCCP, President of the American
College of Chest Physicians. It's exciting to see the potential for
omega-3 fatty acids in improving heart function when it complements a
healthy lifestyle of exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, and
getting eight hours of sleep.
The study is published in the April issue of CHEST,
the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.
It is available online each month at www.chestjournal.org. ACCP
represents more than 15,700 members who provide clinical respiratory,
critical care, and cardiothoracic patient care in the United States and
throughout the world. ACCPs mission is to promote the prevention and
treatment of diseases of the chest through leadership, education,
research, and communication.
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