Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Resting Heart Rate, Heart Rate Recovery After Exercise, and Heart Rate Variability in Men With Healed Myocardial Infarctions and Depressed Ejection Fractions

doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2005.11.025

The American Journal of Cardiology

Volume 97, Issue 8, 15 April 2006, Pages 1127-1130

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2005.11.025 Get rights and content

We explored possible mechanisms by which recommended intakes of ω-3 fatty acids may decrease the risk for sudden cardiac death in patients with documented coronary heart disease. The cardioprotective effects of ω-3 fatty acids have been documented in epidemiologic and randomized controlled trials. These fatty acids are presumed to decrease susceptibility to fatal arrhythmias, but whether this is mediated by classic risk factors or direct cardiac mechanisms is not known. Eighteen white men with a history of myocardial infarction and ejection fractions <40% were randomized to placebo or ω-3 fatty acids (585 mg of docosahexaenoic acid and 225 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid) for two 4-month periods in a crossover design. At the end of each period, heart rate (HR), HR variability, and rate of HR recovery after exercise were determined, as were effects on arterial compliance, blood pressure, cardiac function, and fasting serum levels of lipids and inflammatory markers. Omega-3 fatty acids decreased HR at rest from 73 ± 13 to 68 ± 13 beats/min (p <0.0001) and improved 1-minute HR recovery after exercise (−27 ± 10 to −32 ± 12 beats/min, p <0.01). HR variability in the high-frequency band increased (p <0.02), but no change was noted in overall HR variability. There were no significant effects on blood pressure, arterial compliance, lipids, or inflammatory markers. These changes are consistent with an increase in vagal activity and may in part explain the observed decrease in risk for sudden cardiac death seen with ω-3 fatty acid supplementation.

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Acknowledgment

The investigators acknowledge the significant contributions to this project made by Sheryl Windsor, MT, MBA, Amy Reinert, BS, Crystal Russel-Lopez, BS, Qing Lan Zhang, BS, Rebecca Peterson, BS, Kristine Whitson, BS, and Rick Lustig, MD.

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We analyzed data from UK Biobank, which included 117,702 subjects with baseline plasma DHA levels and 12.7 years of follow-up between April 2007 and December 2021. Associations with risk for mortality endpoints were analyzed categorically by quintile of DHA plasma levels.
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Oils and fats play a vital part in human nutrition, large number of bioactive compounds, essential fatty acids, flavoring compounds, and fat-soluble vitamins. Clove oil is a rich source of essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oil from clove may be extracted using traditional methods; however, higher yield and quality may be improved by employing super critical fluid extraction and enzymatic methods for the extraction. For the production of food grade clove oil, it is refined, bleached, and deodorized to remove gross impurities, coloring matters, and odoriferous compounds. Through chemical, enzymatic interesterification, transesterification, winterization/fractionation, tailored fats can be prepared from clove oil with increased functionality and health prospects. Clove oil can be commercially used for the supplementation of bread, cakes, fermented milks, drinking yoghurt, flavored yoghurt, salad dressings, processed cheese, cheddar, mozzarella cheese, etc. As compared to palm oil and palm kernel oil, clove oil has considerably higher concentration of beneficial unsaturated acids. In modern human diet, clove oil is the major source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Clove oil is used in pharmaceuticals, fortification of foods, animal feed, etc. Clove oil may be used in the formulation of Vanaspati ghee, cheese analogues, coffee and tea-whiteners, chocolates, whipped cream, mayonnaise, pickles, sausages, topping of chapatti (unleavened flat bread), and olein, and super olein fraction of clove oil may be used for blending with soybean, canola, sunflower, cottonseed oils as cooking oils for domestic, industrial, and restaurant applications. Clinical investigations have shown that clove oils have several health prospects such as cardioprotective effects, anticarcinogenic properties, antiinflammatory properties, etc., with no toxicological effects.
DHA Supplementation During Pregnancy Enhances Maternal Vagally Mediated Cardiac Autonomic Control in Humans
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DHA is an essential omega-3 (ω-3; n–3) fatty acid that has well-established benefits for the fetus. DHA also has the potential to influence the health of the mother, but this area is understudied.
The objective of this secondary analysis was to determine if DHA was related to maternal heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) metrics in a large cohort of pregnant women.
In the parent trial (1R01HD086001) eligible participants (≥18 y old, English speaking, carrying a singleton pregnancy, 12–20 wk of gestation) were randomly assigned to consume 200 mg/d or 800 mg/d DHA for the duration of their pregnancy (n = 300). Weight, blood pressure, and magnetocardiograms (MCGs) were collected at 32 wk and 36 wk of gestation (n = 221). Measures of HR and HRV in time-, frequency-, and nonlinear-domains were determined from the isolated maternal MCG. Treatment group and timepoint were examined as predictors in association with HR and HRV metrics using random-intercept mixed-effects ANOVA unadjusted and adjusted models accounting for weight and dietary DHA intake.
Women receiving the higher dose of DHA (800 mg/d) during pregnancy had lower HR, lower sympathetic index, higher vagally mediated HRV indices, and greater HRV complexity when compared with the women who received the lower dose (200 mg/d; all P < 0.05). All the dose relations remained significant even after controlling for the effect of time, maternal weight, and dietary DHA intake.
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Cardiovascular diseases are currently the first cause of death worldwide. Despite great medicine advances through the years, this kind of diseases still have a large impact on global health. The role of lipids in cardiovascular diseases represents nowadays a well-grounded biomedical tale. This intimal relationship led to the understanding of atherosclerotic plaque formation and consequently, the development of potent drugs with great impact in global population health.
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A large number of studies have demonstrated the effects of omega- 3 supplements containing mixtures of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), known to favorably affect many modifiable risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD). These studies have used diverse ratios and doses of EPA and DHA. However, it is not known whether the ratio of EPA to DHA in omega-3 supplements affect their efficacy as modulators for cardiovascular risk factors. This meta-regression aimed to investigate the effect of different ratios of EPA to DHA on risk factors associated with CHD including lipid profile, blood pressure, heart rate, and inflammation.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has currently led to a global pandemic with millions of confirmed and increasing cases around the world. The novel SARS-CoV-2 not only affects the lungs causing severe acute respiratory dysfunction but also leads to significant dysfunction in multiple organs and physiological systems including the cardiovascular system. A plethora of studies have shown the viral infection triggers an exaggerated immune response, hypercoagulation and oxidative stress, which contribute significantly to poor cardiovascular outcomes observed in COVID-19 patients. To date, there are no approved vaccines or therapies for COVID-19. Accordingly, cardiovascular protective and supportive therapies are urgent and necessary to the overall prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Accumulating literature has demonstrated the beneficial effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) toward the cardiovascular system, which include ameliorating uncontrolled inflammatory reactions, reduced oxidative stress and mitigating coagulopathy. Moreover, it has been demonstrated the n-3 PUFAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are precursors to a group of potent bioactive lipid mediators, generated endogenously, which mediate many of the beneficial effects attributed to their parent compounds. Considering the favorable safety profile for n-3 PUFAs and their metabolites, it is reasonable to consider n-3 PUFAs as potential adjuvant therapies for the clinical management of COVID-19 patients. In this article, we provide an overview of the pathogenesis of cardiovascular complications secondary to COVID-19 and focus on the mechanisms that may contribute to the likely benefits of n-3 PUFAs and their metabolites.

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: This study was funded by a grant from the Saint Luke’s Hospital Foundation, Kansas City, Missouri.

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Coronary artery diseaseEffects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Resting Heart Rate, Heart Rate Recovery After Exercise, and Heart Rate Variability in Men With Healed Myocardial Infarctions and Depressed Ejection Fractions

Section snippets

Acknowledgment

Am J Clin Nutr

Am J Cardiol

Am J Clin Nutr

J Card Fail

Lancet

Lancet

J Am Coll Cardiol

Accumulated evidence on fish consumption and coronary heart disease mortalitya meta-analysis of cohort studies

Circulation

Fish consumption, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease

Circulation

Coronary artery disease
Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Resting Heart Rate, Heart Rate Recovery After Exercise, and Heart Rate Variability in Men With Healed Myocardial Infarctions and Depressed Ejection Fractions