According to recent information from a new study, people with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids are as much as 30 percent less likely to develop atrial fibrillation than those who have lower omega-3 levels.

The study, which was conducted with researchers analyzing 3,000 older adults, may provide many people with a new supplement to add to their diets if they are hoping to avoid heart arrhythmias later in life. This is a significantly lower risk of AF, according to Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian.

“A 30 percent lower risk of the most common chronic arrhythmia in the United States population is a pretty big effect,” says Mozaffarian, the senior author of the new report and a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

When it comes to AF treatments, which are mostly aimed at preventing strokes, prescriptions medications like Multaq are commonly used as they help to thin the blood. However, drugs like Multaq come with severe enough side effects (liver failure, worsening heart conditions — even death) that it makes the prevention of AF something that people may want to know about beforehand. This new study is showing that simply eating a lot of fish can significantly reduce your chances of developing atrial fibrillation in the first place.

Omega-3 fatty acids — eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — can be found in various types of oily fish and eggs. They can also be found in supplement form. As a means of getting a better measurement of just how much fish oil a person has to consume for the full benefits to occur, the researchers took blood samples from over 3,300 adults over the age of 65. During a 14-year follow up, the researchers found that 789 of the seniors monitored had developed AF.

The researchers also found that the patients who had top-25 percent omega-3 levels in their bloodstreams when the study began were 30 percent less likely to develop AF as opposed to the patients that had bottom-25 percent blood levels of omega-3s. while this may not a be a gigantic risk difference, the research does show that “these are meaningful reductions in risk,” said Dr. Alvaro Alonso, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, who was not involved in this study.

Even if this study can’t completely prevent patients from developing AF by increasing omega-3 levels, it can give some people hope. AF is a difficult condition to live with, especially in patients who are forced to take Multaq when other medications fail. The problem is that Multaq causes liver failure, worsening heart conditions and death in some patients. If you or a loved one has developed liver failure or a worsening of your heart condition after taking Multaq, contact attorney Greg Jones for a free consultation today. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.