Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fish oil supplements may help prevent atrial fibrillation in dogs
By Zhang, Zhong et al.·Published in International journal of cardiology·2011·Department of Cardiology, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids prevents atrial fibrillation by inhibiting inflammation in a canine sterile pericarditis model.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with a condition called sterile pericarditis (inflammation around the heart) were given a dietary supplement of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to see if it would help reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of irregular heartbeat. After treatment, the dogs receiving PUFAs showed significantly lower levels of inflammation markers and had fewer episodes of AF compared to those not receiving the supplement. The results suggest that adding n-3 PUFAs to a dog's diet may help protect against heart issues related to inflammation.
People also search for: dog heart problems treatment · atrial fibrillation in dogs · n-3 fatty acids for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: It has been recently reported that atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with inflammation and inflammatory cytokines, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) might be of anti-inflammatory effects. This study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of PUFAs on AF in a canine sterile pericarditis model. METHODS: 20 dogs were randomly assigned to two groups: control group (10 dogs) and PUFA treatment group (10 dogs), in which sterile pericarditis was created by open-chest operation. PUFAs were administered orally (2g/day) 4 weeks before the operation till the end of the study. Before and 2 days after the operation, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α levels, the inducibility and maintenance of AF, the atrial effective refractory period (AERPs), and intra-atrial conduction time were determined. RESULTS: Before the operation, there were no significant differences in any of the parameters between the two groups. On the second postoperative day, the PUFA group had a lower CRP level (7.6 ± 0.5 vs. 11.7 ± 1.3mg/dl, P<0.0001), a lower IL-6 level (112.0 ± 37.3 vs. 142.0 ± 19.6 pg/ml, P<0.01), a lower TNF-α level (83.3 ± 8.5 vs. 112.4 ± 8.2 pg/ml, P<0.0001), a less AF inducibility (percentage of burst attempts leading to AF episodes: 11 ± 7.4 vs. 28 ± 10.3, P<0.001) and maintenance [median AF duration: 1105 s (655.8-1406.5) vs. 2516.5 s (1187-3361), P<0.05], a longer AERP (133.4 ± 4.1 vs. 129.8 ± 4.3 ms, P<0.05), and a shorter intra-atrial conduction time (46.6 ± 4.4 vs. 51.9 ± 4.8 ms, P<0.05) than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation attenuates the inducibility and maintenance of AF in the sterile pericarditis model by reducing the production of proinflammatory cytokines.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20832129/