SynthesisCirculation. Arrhythmia and electrophysiology2026
Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Treatment on Risk for Atrial Fibrillation: An Updated Meta-Analysis of 35 Trials including 114 592 Individuals.
Synthesis in Circulation. Arrhythmia and electrophysiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
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39 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundRecent meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials have raised concerns that treatment with omega-3 fatty acids may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, these meta-analyses included at most 8 trials. The aim of this current meta-analysis was to expand the search by including other eligible omega-3 randomized controlled trials with AF incidence data, incorporating both published and unpublished data.
methodsEligible studies were randomized controlled trials investigating daily doses of ≥500 mg/d of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Additional inclusion criteria included ≥12 months of treatment with EPA/DHA, participants ≥50 years of age, and, where possible, the absence of known AF/atrial flutter at baseline. The primary outcome was the occurrence of new-onset AF. Our primary hypothesis was that risk for AF would simultaneously depend on both omega-3 dose (above or below 1500 mg/d) and background cardiovascular disease risk status, and that their combined impact on AF risk would be synergistic.
resultsA total of 35 randomized controlled trials (37 data sets; n=114 592) were included in this meta-analysis. Only studies including patients at high-risk for cardiovascular disease who were treated with high-doses of EPA/DHA (>1500 mg/d) showed a statistically significant increase in AF risk with a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.43 (95% CI, 1.14-1.79) and an absolute risk difference of 0.8% (0.40%-1.1%). None of the other 3 groups showed statistically significant levels of AF risk (odds ratios, 1.07 [high risk-low dose], 1.06 [low risk-low dose], and 1.03 [low risk-high dose]).
conclusionsThis meta-analysis suggests that high-dose EPA/DHA treatment is associated with an increased risk of AF in patients at high cardiovascular disease risk, whereas low-dose EPA/DHA does not appear to increase AF risk, even in high-risk populations. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate any potential increased risk of higher doses balanced against potential benefits.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.