Fish oil and ICDs
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Fish oil does not reduce the risk of ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), according to a study in the June 15 Journal of the American Medical Association. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may even increase the risk in patients with ICDs, Merritt Raitt, MD, Oregon Health & Science University, et al., find. A randomized controlled trial involving 200 patients with ICDs and recent incidence of VT or VF were randomly assigned to 1.8 g of fish oil daily or placebo. After 24 months, 65% of patients taking fish oil had ICD therapy for VT or VF compared to 59% for the placebo group. Researchers noted that although they were unable to demonstrate an antiarrhythmic benefit for fish oil, the results do not negate the possible benefits of omega-3s on patients who have suffered heart attacks...