Dietary fish oil, at intakes achievable in the human diet, reduces resting heart rate and ischaemia-induced cardiac arrhythmias in Sprague-Dawley rats

High intakes of dietary fish oil increase myocardial membrane incorporation of the long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) and of physiological consequence, heart rate is slowed and cardiac arrhythmia's are reduced.(1,2,3) Myocardial muscle membrane composition is also responsive to very small dietary fish oil intakes,(1) equivalent to what could be achieved in the human dietary intake range through regular consumption of fish.