Fish Oil May Harm Defibrillator Patients

Fish oil appears to do more harm than good for heart patients who have surgically implanted defibrillators to shock their weakened hearts back into rhythm, researchers said. In a study of 200 patients with the electrical devices, half took fish oil supplements and the other half olive oil. Those who consumed fish oil had more episodes of dangerous heart arrhythmia that often precede heart attacks. Fish oil - whether absorbed from eating fish such as cod or in supplement form - has previously been found to reduce by about 25 percent the risk of fatal heart attacks in survivors of a previous attack.

()a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8789735" target="_blank">Reuters