HOME SUBSCRIPTIONS CURRENT ISSUE PAST ISSUES CARDIOSOURCE SEARCH HELP FEEDBACK		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (12) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Djoussé, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Djoussé, L.

EXPEDITED REVIEW

Dietary Linolenic Acid and Adjusted QT and JT Intervals in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study

Luc Djoussé, MD, DSc, MPH^_*,_*, Pentti M. Rautaharju, MD, PhD, Paul N. Hopkins, MD, MSPH, Eric A. Whitsel, MD, MPH, Donna K. Arnett, PhD, MSPH^||, John H. Eckfeldt, MD, PhD^¶, Michael A. Province, PhD^#, R. Curtis Ellison, MD^_* Investigators of the NHLBI Family Heart Study

^_* Section of Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology, Evans Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Department of Community Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Department of Cardiovascular Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
^|| Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
^¶ Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Fairview-University Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
^# Division of Biostatistics, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

Manuscript received October 29, 2004; revised manuscript received December 16, 2004, accepted January 11, 2005.

^_* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Luc Djoussé, Boston University School of Medicine, Room B-612, 715 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02118 (Email: ldjousse{at}bu.edu).

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to examine whether higher consumption of total linolenic acid was associated with rate-adjusted QT and JT intervals (QTrr and JTrr, respectively).

BACKGROUND: Higher intake of fish omega-3 fatty acids and plant omega-3 such as alpha-linolenic acid is associated with lower risk of myocardial infarction. While long-chain omega-3 can inhibit ventricular arrhythmia, it is not known whether alpha-linolenic acid influences ventricular repolarization.

METHODS: We studied 3,642 subjects from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart study who were free of myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, pacemaker, and with QRS <120 ms. We used the 95th percentile of the gender-specific distribution of QTrr and JTrr to define abnormally prolonged repolarization. Within each gender, we created age- and energy-adjusted tertiles of linolenic acid and used regression models for analyses.

RESULTS: Mean age was 50 years, and average intake of total linolenic acid was 0.74 g/day. There was an inverse association between consumption of linolenic acid and QTrr and JTrr (p for trend 0.001 and 0.0005, respectively). From the lowest (reference) to the highest gender-, age-, and energy-adjusted tertile of linolenic acid, multivariable adjusted odds ratios for prolonged QTrr were 1.0, 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57 to 0.96), and 0.59 (95% CI 0.44 to 0.77), respectively (p for trend 0.0003). Corresponding values for JTrr were 1.0, 0.73 (95% CI 0.52 to 1.03), and 0.59 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.87), respectively (p for trend 0.009). Exclusion of subjects taking drugs known to influence QT did not influence this association.

CONCLUSIONS: Higher intake of dietary linolenic acid might be associated with a reduced risk of abnormally prolonged repolarization in men and women.

Abbreviations and Acronyms   AA = arachidonic acid   CAD = coronary artery disease   CI = confidence interval   DHA = docosahexaenoic acid   ECG = electrocardiogram/electrocardiographic   EPA = eicosapentaenoic acid   JTrr = rate-adjusted JT interval as JT – 176·[(60/HR) – 1] + 14 for men (HR = heart rate)   NHLBI = National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute   QTc = rate-adjusted QT interval as QT/RR1/2   QTrr = rate-adjusted QT interval as QT – 185·[(60/HR) – 1] + 6 for men (HR = heart rate)

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Chrysohoou, D. B Panagiotakos, C. Pitsavos, J. Skoumas, X. Krinos, Y. Chloptsios, V. Nikolaou, and C. Stefanadis Long-term fish consumption is associated with protection against arrhythmia in healthy persons in a Mediterranean region--the ATTICA study Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, May 1, 2007; 85(5): 1385 - 1391. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. P. Ander, C. Hurtado, C. S. Raposo, T. G. Maddaford, J. F. Deniset, L. V. Hryshko, G. N. Pierce, and A. Lukas Differential sensitivities of the NCX1.1 and NCX1.3 isoforms of the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger to {alpha}-linolenic acid Cardiovasc Res, January 15, 2007; 73(2): 395 - 403. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Mozaffarian, R. J. Prineas, P. K. Stein, and D. S. Siscovick Dietary Fish and n-3 Fatty Acid Intake and Cardiac Electrocardiographic Parameters in Humans J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., August 1, 2006; 48(3): 478 - 484. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L Breslow n-3 Fatty acids and cardiovascular disease Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2006; 83(6): S1477 - 1482S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Albert, K. Oh, W. Whang, J. E. Manson, C. U. Chae, M. J. Stampfer, W. C. Willett, and F. B. Hu Dietary {alpha}-Linolenic Acid Intake and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death and Coronary Heart Disease Circulation, November 22, 2005; 112(21): 3232 - 3238. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]