Fish Oil & Atrial Fibrillation

CLINICAL UPDATES

Fish Oil & Atrial Fibrillation

Very high-dose fish oil has been shown to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm problem. A new study suggests why. Get the details in the Concerns and Cautions section of our Fish Oil Supplements Review.


[www.consumerlab.com]

PS... sorry, just saw there is a similar clip in the General Forum.

Jackie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2023 01:58PM by Jackie.

LOL Jackie - I was about to post the same thing. CL is a paywall for most people - here is the Abstract

[pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Abstract

Aims: Mixed effects of fish oil supplementation on the risks of atrial fibrillation (AF) were observed in several large-scale randomized controlled trials. Whether this relationship would be modified by genetic AF risk, baseline cardiovascular disease (CVD) status and background oily fish consumption are unknown.

Methods and results: We included 468 665 participants without AF at baseline from the UK Biobank cohort. The association between fish oil supplementation and the AF risk was assessed in the study cohort and in several subgroups, including genetic AF predisposition, baseline CVD status, and background oily fish consumption. During a median follow-up of 11.1 years, fish oil users had a higher rate of incident AF (6.2% vs. 5.2%, adjusted hazard ratio of 1.10, and 95% confidence interval of 1.07, 1.13). Compared with non-users, fish oil users had a higher rate of incident AF in the low (3.7% vs. 3.0%, P= 0.02), intermediate (5.8% vs. 4.8%, P < 0.0001), and high (9.8% vs. 8.1%, P < 0.0001) genetic AF risk groups. In participants without CVD at baseline, fish oil users had a higher rate of incident AF (5.3% vs. 4.1%, P < 0.0001), which was not observed in participants with CVD at baseline (11.6% vs. 11.1%, P = 0.56), with significant interaction (P-interaction < 0.0001). The association between fish oil supplementation and the AF risk was not modified by background oily fish consumption (P-interaction = 0.62).

Conclusion: Habitual fish oil supplementation was associated with the risk of incident AF, regardless of genetic AF predisposition and background oily fish consumption. This association was observed only in individuals without CVD at baseline.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2023 08:52PM by PavanPharter.

Main takeaway: eat wild caught salmon, it's low in mercury and doesn't affect AF like supplements can.

DO not eat the farm raised crap salmon.

Personally, I buy the more expensive Nordic Naturals and take the recommended amount from the Danish study. I suspect the problem with the supplements is oxidation.

[www.nordic.com]

Anisidine value (AV) is a measurement of past oxidation of the oil. More specifically, it is the measure of aldehyde production during oxidation of fats. AV essentially reflects how an oil has been handled and stored, versus peroxide value (PV), which measures current oxidation. For both AV and PV, a lower number is better. TOTOX (total oxidation value) is used to describe total oxidation to which the oil has been exposed. TOTOX = 2 x PV + AV.

The fish oils used in Nordic Naturals’ products typically range between TOTOX values of 5 and 14. Recent tests of Nordic Naturals raw fish oils report TOTOX values of 7.0. Certificates of Analysis are available on our website; simply enter your lot number to view the certificate for your specific bottle.

The established upper limits, as set by the current Voluntary Standards for Omega-3s* in the United States, are as follows:

Peroxide value: Maximum is 5 mEq/kg
Anisidine value: Maximum is 20 mEq/kg
TOTOX: Maximum is 26 mEq/kg



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2023 08:58PM by PavanPharter.

“ DO not eat the farm raised crap salmon. ”

I have an interesting story to share. Today during a horrific heat wave and sandstorms, I found out about a fish market and took a bus to see if they carried wild salmon. The storekeeper’s reply brought a smile to my face. He said it’s impossible to buy in the country I’m at. If I want wild I need to hire a pirate to take his boat out and catch me a salmon.

Call me “Captain”. I’m game. I’ve been on fishing boats during an oceanography class when I was younger and it was fun.

I eat farm salmon daily. I’m worried about mercury. Once I microwaved a fake shrimp frozen product they use in California sushi rolls and the inside of my microwave starts to spark. Mercury caused the sparks?

Quote
susan.d
Mercury caused the sparks?

No. Mercury in fish isn't in a metallic form.

You can buy fresh frozen wild salmon online.

[www.epa.gov]

[www.health.harvard.edu]

[www.consumerreports.org]

[advocacy.consumerreports.org]

[oehha.ca.gov]

Quote
susan.d
“ DO not eat the farm raised crap salmon. ”

I have an interesting story to share. Today during a horrific heat wave and sandstorms, I found out about a fish market and took a bus to see if they carried wild salmon. The storekeeper’s reply brought a smile to my face. He said it’s impossible to buy in the country I’m at. If I want wild I need to hire a pirate to take his boat out and catch me a salmon.

Call me “Captain”. I’m game. I’ve been on fishing boats during an oceanography class when I was younger and it was fun.

I eat farm salmon daily. I’m worried about mercury. Once I microwaved a fake shrimp frozen product they use in California sushi rolls and the inside of my microwave starts to spark. Mercury caused the sparks?

Well, we know it wasn't shrimp, so that much is okay. Whatever it was, I can't believe it was passed by the food import watchers if it had enough mercury in two or three ounces to cause flashes in the microwave. Anyone who ate much of that product over the next few months would probably have become deathly ill.

Quote
Carey
You can buy fresh frozen wild salmon online.

I wish. I just looked it up …”Private import of meat, fish and their byproducts is prohibited excluding canned products with maximum quantities as above.”

That’s 15kg for personal use plus 17% customs on food. Can wild fish it is then. I can buy wild canned online locally. Thank you anyway.

DO not eat the farm raised crap salmon. Here's why.

Large-scale salmon farms in the United States, Canada, Scotland, Norway and Chile have attracted hideous marine insects called sea lice that attach themselves to the fish, causing skin lesions and secondary infections, killing the host or rendering meat inedible. The damage these lice have inflicted has caused salmon prices to soar in the past 18 months. To get rid of these parasites, farmers doctor their feed with a pesticide called Slice, or emamectin benzoate, which causes tremors, spinal deterioration and muscle atrophy when administered to rats and dogs.

• Large salmon farms also use high levels of antibiotics to treat bacteria that cause lesions and hemorrhaging in infected fish. Why is that bad? Overuse of antibiotics, either in farming or for human medical treatment, speeds up the development of antibiotic resistance.

• Farmed salmon are fed pellets made out of fish oil and smaller fish, ground-up chicken feathers, poultry litter (yes, that's poop), genetically modified yeast, soybeans and chicken fat.

Wild salmon get its lovely rose color from eating krill and shrimp. Farmed salmon, because it eats those pellets, is grey. To make it more appetizing to consumers, farmers add dyes to their feed.

• Studies show that farmed salmon contains up to eight times more PCBs — cancer-causing industrial chemicals that were banned in 1979 — than wild, as well as high levels of mercury and dioxins from herbicides like Agent Orange.

• We've all heard that omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients for nervous system, heart and brain health. Omega-3 in fish are derived from plants like algae, leaves and grass. Because farmed salmon are fed a lot of soy, they are high in omega-6, which you don't want: Omega-3 fights inflammation while omega-6 promotes it.

• Then there are environmental concerns: pollution from fish excrement and uneaten feed; farms releasing diseases to wild fish stocks; escapees unwittingly released into the wild where there are no natural populations and then outcompeting native fish populations. Many people also have ethical concerns about farming carnivorous fish. To produce farmed fish such as salmon, you must feed them about three times their weight of wild-caught fish. That's like feeding a whole sheep to a chicken to get that poultry to harvest weight.

[www.tampabay.com]

Wow! Thanks Pavan. I eat fish 2+ a day. I had salmon twice today and carp once. Your post makes me wonder how I am going to change my diet being gluten and dairy free.

I fed my koi a combo of krill and shrimp food imported from Japan. I think they ate healthier than me.

Whole eggs, Susan. They remain the One Great Wonder Food if you need protein in quantity. Egg whites are great for protein, but they're terrible for sustainable health unless you supplement with the nutrients found in the egg yolk which, when included, make all the difference in the world to the egg's value in one's diet. Free range if possible, Free Run if the cost of the former is prohibitive. But any whole egg would be a great choice to eat, two each day. If a person still thinks in the 21st Century that whole eggs are bad food, time for some reading...serious self-education.

Dolly Parton sang a song about the 4 egg omelette when everyone thought eggs were dangerous.

Choline, choline, choline, choline.....
I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my man.

Seriously though - eggs may not be the perfect food we hope they are. Even Vital Farms $9.99 a dozen eggs at my local store are fed standard chicken feed of corn, soy and seed oils. This O6 PUFA ends up in the egg and has high linoleic acid.

From Vital Farms on their "pasture eggs". [vitalfarms.com]

Our hens spend their days foraging in the pastures, seeking out native and seasonal grasses like clover, rye, and wild onion. They don’t stop with plants, though! You’ll often catch our girls munching on a grasshopper or snacking on a worm. Alongside the food they forage, our girls receive supplemental feed. The supplemental feed consists primarily of corn and unprocessed soybean meal, which the hens need for protein, as well as additional natural ingredients, including paprika and marigold, which, along with their outdoor snacks, provide nutrients and help the hens produce eggs with deep orange yolks that our consumers prefer. Our supplemental feed is developed by an animal nutritionist, ensuring the girls receive all the nutrients they need to support their health, active lifestyles, and overall well-being.


True free range eggs are available and healthy but you need to have a personal relationship with your chicken rancher.

"Hens fed a diet low in omega-6 fatty acids and high in antioxidants produced eggs which are better for your arteries."

"'Dr. Niva Shapira of Tel Aviv University's School of Health Professions says that all eggs are not created equal. Her research indicates that when hens are fed with a diet low in omega-6 fatty acids from a young age — feed high in wheat, barley, and milo and lower in soy, maize and sunflower, safflower, and maize oils — they produce eggs that may cause less oxidative damage to human health. That's a major part of what determines the physiological impact of the end product on your table.'

"Eggs made from the conventional cheaper chicken diet produced worse effects on the blood of human study participants.

"'There were vast differences in outcome among the treatments. Daily consumption of two industry-standard eggs, high in omega-6, caused a 40 percent increase in LDL oxidizability in participants. After eating two per day of the specially-composed eggs, with both high anti-oxidant and low omega-6 levels, however, LDL oxidation levels were similar to the control group eating only two to four eggs a week....'"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2023 06:53PM by PavanPharter.

Quote
gloaming
Whole eggs, Susan. They remain the One Great Wonder Food if you need protein in quantity. Egg whites are great for protein, but they're terrible for sustainable health unless you supplement with the nutrients found in the egg yolk which, when included, make all the difference in the world to the egg's value in one's diet. Free range if possible, Free Run if the cost of the former is prohibitive. But any whole egg would be a great choice to eat, two each day. If a person still thinks in the 21st Century that whole eggs are bad food, time for some reading...serious self-education.

I had an angiogram and they found zero plaque. I contributed it to no yolks, fat free dairy, chicken breast with no skin and watching the cholesterol in food selection. I still have high cholesterol.

My daughter once came home after a sleepover as a kid and was excited to see a yellow omelet served at her friends home since we only use the whites. She didn’t know it existed. I am a fan of avocado and olive oil and the fattiest fish I can find. That’s where I get my fat.

The lipid hypothesis is completely debunked. Get an NMR lipid panel if you really care. Even ApoB and LPa can be ignored. I can manipulate either through diet and have done so.

This is the lab where I get the NMR test.
[bostonheartdiagnostics.com]

I haven't really watched my diet. I eat ww bread, or 'keto' bread, and unhomogenized peanut butter. I eat chocolate, have 18% fat in my coffee, even add some MCT now and then and butter. I have always been borderline high for LDL. But, my angiogram last year, near 70 years of age, showed, and I quote the gentleman who leaned over me and told me as he withdrew the catheter, 'You're good, minor deposits.' An earlier Doppler ultrasound of my carotid arteries showed the same. My dad, though, was near death six years ago with a 100% blockage on the right and 90% on the left. He reported that his peripheral vision was shimmering because he was getting so little oxygenation north of his heart. He eats much 'better' than I. Go figure.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2023 07:43PM by gloaming.

Quote
PavanPharter
Even ApoB and LPa can be ignored. I can manipulate either through diet and have done so.

Curious what you've done to manipulate Lp(a)?

Probably should have noted that my natural LPa is 14 and by manipulating, in this case it's mainly up. While I guess you could say that if on SAD, you can manipulate it down. I was on SAD for much of my life.

In general, less SFA, more carbs and PUFA raise LPa.

L-carnitine and Ubiquinol have lowered it.

Ignore LPa if hsCRP is low - [pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Great blog on ApoB and why it can be ignored

[www.buymeacoffee.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2023 10:31PM by PavanPharter.