Eating Fish a Smart Move

02/27/08 Nutrition & Exercise

Remember hearing that eating fish is good for your brain? Well, if you were smart enough to eat fish then your heart may be ahead of the game as well.

In the February 21, 2008 issue of Circulation, a Harvard Medical School team of researchers determined omega-3 fatty acids from fish and fish oil reduced the incidence of erratic heart rates particularly during incidents of cardiac ischemia (the narrowing of the blood vessels, commonly called angina, or chest pain) and myocardial infarctions (when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the cardiac muscle, known generically as heart attack). It is a rather significant finding considering arrhythmias, or normal heart rhythm disturbance can be fatal.

From the information presented in the research, it is reasonable to assume omega-3 impacts the electrical conduction system of the heart, which in turn regulates the heart rate variability. It did not, however, effect all instances of heart rhythm equally in every situation. In general, it reduced abnormal firing of the sinoatrial node, which is the “command post” of the heart and increases the tone of the vagus nerve. The vagus makes the heart beat without you having to think about it.

The study was based on the consumption of tuna, fish oil, and other kinds of fish; giving heart patients have even more reason to consume fish, the most plentiful source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Before you dismiss this information as an ad for the seafood or nutraceutical industry, understand omega-3 has been the subject of numerous mainstream medical studies, and is no longer relegated to the alternate medicine periodicals or health food store shelves.

Studies find that although stored in the body, omega-3 is not readily made by the human metabolism. It is considered to be the more significant of the omegas because of its cardiovascular benefits and anti-inflammatory effects.

Corie Richter is a nurse and physician's assistant who started her career as a health educator. The survivor of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and partially successful quadruple bypass surgery, she did not let her health challenges hamper her. Neither the limitations of spinal surgery nor of diabetes have deterred her from a mission of service. She now encourages others through writing and speaking engagements to master their disabilities through education and a proactive attitude.