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Eating Fish May Substantially Reduce Risk Of Sudden Cardiac Death CHICAGO, IL -- January 6, 1998 -- Eating at least one fish meal per week may cut in half the risk of sudden cardiac death in men, according to an article in the tomorrow’s issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. Christine Albert, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA., and colleagues studied 20,551 male physicians, aged 40 to 84 years, in the Physicians' Health Study to investigate the association between fish consumption and the risk of sudden cardiac death (death within one hour of the onset of symptoms). The researchers found eating fish at least once a week was associated with a 52 percent lower risk of sudden death compared with those eating fish less than once a month. A type of fat found in seafood (n-3 or omega-3 fatty acid) also was associated with a reduced risk of sudden death, but less significantly. However, fish and n-3 fatty acid consumption was not related to risk of heart attack, coronary heart disease death or non-sudden cardiac death. Approximately 250,000 sudden cardiac deaths occur in the United States every year. Of the sudden deaths, 55 percent have no previous history of heart disease and most die prior to reaching the hospital. "All levels of fish consumption were associated with a decreased risk of sudden death, but the size of reduction did not appear to differ substantially at levels of consumption greater than one fish serving per week, suggesting a threshold effect,” they write. “This small amount of fish may be sufficient to provide an essential amount of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid or some unidentified nutrient or both that decrease sudden cardiac death." Fatty fish includes tuna, salmon, mackerel and shellfish. The researchers individually tested other food groups (red meat, chicken, vegetables, fruits, dairy and fried foods) and did not find an association with sudden cardiac death. The researchers point out that part of the association between fish consumption and a lower risk of sudden death may be explained by the fact that fish consumption was a marker for a healthier lifestyle (fish consumers were more likely to exercise regularly and take antioxidant vitamin supplements). On the other hand, fish consumers were more likely to have high cholesterol or hypertension and a family history of coronary heart disease. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version