Broiled fish, not fried, curbs irregular heartbeat

[956Vette]

Jul 20 (Reuters Health) - Eating fish that is broiled or baked seems to reduce the risk of developing an irregular rhythm of the heart's upper chambers, called atrial fibrillation, new research suggests.

However, eating fried fish or fish sandwiches doesn't cut it.


Elderly people with atrial fibrillation are known to be at heightened risk for having a stroke caused by blood clots, and are often treated with blood-thinners like Coumadin or aspirin.


"The results suggest that regular intake of tuna or other broiled or baked fish may be a simple and important deterrent to atrial fibrillation among older men and women," Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a statement.


The findings, which appear in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation, are based on a study of 4815 older adults who responded to dietary questionnaires in 1989 and 1990 and then were followed for 12 years to assess the incidence of atrial fibrillation.


Consumption of broiled or baked fish correlated with blood levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acid, whereas intake of fried fish or fish sandwiches did not, the researchers note.


During follow-up, 980 subjects were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, Mozaffarian's team reports.


They found that people who ate broiled or baked fish at least once per week were 30 percent less likely to develop atrial fibrillation than those who ate fish less than once per month.


This benefit was largely unchanged after taking into account any history of heart attack or heart failure.


The reasons for this association -- such as reduced blood pressure, improved heart function, or a direct effect on irregular heartbeats -- need to be looked into more closely, the investigators say.


SOURCE: Circulation, July 20, 2004.



Publish Date: July 20, 2004

[956Vette]

I hate choking down my either talapia or orange ruffie every couple days...but at least it is break from plain chicken breasts

[LORDBLiTZ]

What about BBQ?

[Soldier of Misfortune]

I had 4 baked walleye fillets at work tonite, I also battered and cooked 40lbs of it in a fryer. mmmm faaaat.