The effect of an alpha-linolenic-acid-rich diet on the circadian rhythm of cardiac events

Gal Dubnov, Daniel Pella, Ram B. Singh*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Coronary artery disease events have a circadian rhythmicity, clustering more in the second quartile of the day. n-3 fatty acid supplementation reduces the rate of cardiac events, but its effect on their circadian rhythmicity has not been tested. Design: The Indo-Mediterranean Diet Heart Study was a single blind randomized study that assessed the effect of a diet rich in alpha-linolenic acid, the parent n-3 fatty acid, on the occurrence of myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Subjects: One thousand subjects of the Indo-Mediterranean Diet Heart Study, focusing on the 115 patients from both control and intervention groups in which cardiac events occurred. Intervention: The timing of cardiac events throughout the day was compared between the intervention and control groups. The distribution of cardiac events along the four quartiles of the day was compared between groups as well as against equal distribution. Results: The risk ratio for a cardiac event was lowest between 4:00 and 8:00 in the morning for the intervention group. The control group had a higher, rate of events in the second quartile of the day, which deviated from an equal distribution, as expected (P=0.013). In the intervention group events were equally distributed along the day. No statistically significant difference was found in daily event distribution between the groups. Conclusion: A diet rich in alpha-linolenic acid may abolish the higher rate of cardiac events, normally seen in the second quartile of the day. Additional studies are needed to identify the underlying mechanism.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)49-56
Number of pages8
JournalWorld Heart Journal
Volume1
Issue number1
StatePublished - Jun 2008
Externally publishedYes

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