Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia and is associated with an increased risk of stroke, dementia, heart failure and overall mortality. The condition can be permanent or occur in cycle lasting from minutes to days. The condition results from a disruption to the normal sinoatrial pulse that maintains normal heartbeat. Generally the pulse becomes overwhelmed with impulses originating from the pulmonary veins which causes a disorganised signal to reach the ventricles thereby preventing normal rhythmic contraction. Although the associations between dietary intake of a number of foods and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease have been reasonably well established, there is not so much data investigating the associations between diet, lifestyle, and the development of atrial fibrillation. Some evidence suggests that alcohol and caffeine may play a role in the development of atrial fibrillation, but it is not conclusive.
Researchers1 have investigated the associations of various foods on atrial fibrillation using data from the Frammingham Heart Study. Subjects with no medical history of atrial fibrillation had confirmatory medical examinations, and then completed food frequency questionnaires and were followed in a prospective study for 4 years. After this time the association between development of atrial fibrillation (296 individuals) and the intakes of a number of foods were assessed. Using exploratory analysis, the researches reported that there was an association between eating 4 or more servings of dark fish a week and the development of atrial fibrillation. However, there was no association between caffeine, alcohol, fibre and fish oils. The detrimental effect of some fish on atrial fibrillation supports previous findings and may result from the presence of toxins in the fish such as dioxins, methyl mercury and polychlorinated biphenyl which can bio-accumulate in some ecosystems.
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