Eating fish may reduce infarct size and the occurrence of Q wave infarcts

The present investigation was carried out to see whether intake of fish could influence infarct size as assessed by peak enzyme levels (CKmax and LDmax) as well as the occurrence of Q wave infarcts.

The investigation was a prospectively planned cohort study.

The investigation was carried out at Ullevål University Hospital, Department of Cardiology and Department of Pharmacotherapeutics, University of Oslo, Oslo, and in four other Hospitals in Oslo and Lillehammer.

Seven hundred and forty-five patients (median age 70 y, 64% males) admitted with proven acute myocardial infarction.

Crude effects showed that the regression lines between the number of fish meals/week (FM/week) and CKmax in all patients and in the restricted cohorts of patients receiving/not receiving thrombolytic treatment were: y = 2086-157.x(2P = 0.004); y = 2807-156.x (2P = 0.110) and y = 1260-54.x (2P = 0.230); the corresponding results regarding LDmax were: y = 1329-76.x (2P = 0.009); y = 1556-73.x (2P = 0.120) and y = 1047-39 x (2P = 0.230). Odds ratio (OR) for developing Q wave infarcts in patients consuming > 1.0 FM/week was 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34-0.79; 2P = 0.001. For the adjusted effects, the coefficients of FM/week for log (peak enzyme levels) in all three groups of patients (all patients, and the restricted cohorts of patients receiving/not receiving thrombolytic treatment) were negative with 2P values of 0.014, 0.033 and 0.165 (CKmax), and 0.006, 0.033 and 0.158 (LDmax). OR for developing Q wave infarcts in patients consuming > 1.0 FM/week was 0.59, 95% CI 0.38-0.92; 2P = 0.022.

The results indicate that consuming fish may reduce infarct size as assessed by CKmax and LDmax as well as the occurrence of Q wave infarcts.