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[http://www.officialsanantonio.com/dir/insertpage_2.htm]
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Who
Knew Eating Fish Had This Effect? |
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Eat fish and
you're less likely to die from a sudden
heart attack. |
 |
People who dine on fish regularly have
lower heart rates and that helps prevent
sudden death from a heart attack,
according to new research from the
Institut Pasteur de Lille in France
reported by the Ivanhoe Newswire. Sudden
death or cardiac arrest happens when the
heart stops unexpectedly. The secret
heart-healthy ingredient is omega-3
fatty acids, which is found in abundance
in cold-water fish, such as salmon,
mackerel, herring, and tuna.
The study: More than 9,700 men,
who ranged in age between 50 and 59 and
had no signs of heart disease,
participated in the French study. The
researchers followed them from 1991 to
1993, keeping records of their heart
rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
The men also completed questionnaires
about their use of tobacco and alcohol,
as well as exercise and diet, including
how often they ate fish. A subgroup of
407 men also got blood tests to assess
fatty acid levels.
The results: The men who ate fish
twice a week or more had the lowest
heart rates, averaging 65.5 beats per
minute. This compares to 67.5 beats per
minute for men who ate fish less than
once a week. Why does heart rate matter?
Lead researcher Jean Dallongeville says
even small reductions in heart rate can
make a big difference in the risk for
sudden heart death. "These findings
are particularly important because
sudden death most often occurs in men
without a known history of coronary
heart disease," Dallongeville told
Ivanhoe Newswire.
But there is a puzzler in all this:
How the fatty acids reduce heart
problems isn't clear. Dallongeville
theorizes that the fatty acids stabilize
the electrical activity of the heart's
cells, which in turn lowers the heart
rate. They may also assist with pumping
action and blood pressure. The fish
eaters had lower triglycerides, lower
blood pressure, and higher levels of the
"good" cholesterol.
The study findings were published in
Circulation: Journal of the American
Heart Association.
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