Does omega-3 fatty acid raise AF risk?

Dietary eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid/docosapentaenoic acid (EPA/DHA/DPA) does not seem to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) but even shows an inverse association with AF in a nonlinear manner, according to a study.

“Although recent large randomized clinical trials have reported an increased risk of AF with marine omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acid supplements, it is unclear whether dietary marine ω-3 fatty acids assessed through food frequency questionnaires are associated with AF risk,” the authors said.

To test the hypothesis that dietary EPA/DHA/DPA correlated with an increased risk for AF, data from Million Veteran Program participants who completed self-reported food frequency questionnaires were analysed. The authors estimated the hazard ratios from AF across quintiles of ω-3 fatty acid consumption using multivariable Cox regression and examined the dose–response relations between ω-3 fatty acids and AF through a cubic spline analysis.

A total of 301,294 veterans (mean age 64.9 years, 91 percent men, 84 percent White) were included in the analysis. Their median intake of ω-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA/DPA) was 219 mg/d.

Based on the analysis, consumption of dietary EPA/DHA/DPA showed a nonlinear inverse association with incident AF, which was characterized by an initial decline to 11 percent at 750 mg/d of marine ω-3 fatty acid intake followed by a plateau.