Arrhythmia Prevention With an Alpha-Linolenic Enriched Diet

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 2

Conditions

Atrial Fibrillation

Diet Therapy

Treatments

Behavioral: Alpha-linolenic enriched diet

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT00410020

DGS 990321

99-04 (CPPRB BORDEAUX B)

Details and patient eligibility

About

An alpha linolenic acid (ALA) rich diet in the Lyon Diet Heart Study reduced sudden cardiac deaths possibly by reducing cardiac arrhythmias and ventricular fibrillation (Lancet 1994).

Since then, there has been a growing interest in ALA, ω-3 fatty acid family precursor, as a cardioprotective nutrient. Much of the interest has focused on the potential antiarrhythmic effect of longer chain ω-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, derived from fish.

We therefore concluded it important to test wether vegetable source ω-3 also had antiarrhythmic effects, as shown in animals by Leaf and McLennan, since this might also explain the beneficial effects seen on cardiovascular mortality in the Lyon Diet Heart Study.

Full description

Objective: To determine the effect of an ALA rich diet in reducing recurrence of atrial fibrillation as a further example of a cardiac arrhythmia.

Design: Randomized parallel design efficacy study.

Setting: Three university hospital centers in the Bordeaux region, France.

Patients: 98 patients randomized immediately after successful atrial fibrillation electrical cardioversion.

Intervention: A canola margarine and oil, versus a conventional diet (control), with a one year follow-up.

Main outcome measure: Length of time to first recurrence of atrial fibrillation.

Significance: If ALA is antiarrhythmic, this action may explain its cardioprotective effect in clinical trials and cohort studies.

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 77 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

patients hospitalized in one of the three centers in the Bordeaux region
clinical diagnosis of atrial fibrillation
who subsequently underwent successful electrical cardioversion

Exclusion criteria

unable to receive electrical cardioversion
already enrolled in another trial
unable or unwilling to comply with the diet recommendations (experimental or control) or follow-up requirements
clinically significant cardiac disease, advanced heart failure, cardiac cachexia
thyroid disease, treated or untreated,
clinically significant hepatic or renal disease
history of malignant disease
alcohol abuse
taking ALA rich foods or recording intakes of ALA >2g/d on the control diet or reporting using <1g/d on the ALA diet was considered a major deviation from the protocol