Research

Mixed

Higher circulating levels of total long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are associated with a significantly lower risk of incident atrial fibrillation in older adults.

For older adults, maintaining higher blood levels of long-chain omega-3s (specifically DHA and total n-3 PUFAs) is linked to a lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation. This association was observed in people not taking fish oil supplements, suggesting that dietary intake of fatty fish (which raises these biomarkers) may be protective. While this study does not prove causation, it supports guidelines recommending regular consumption of fatty fish for cardiovascular health.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In older adults, higher circulating total long-chain n-3 PUFA and docosahexaenoic acid levels were associated with lower risk of incident AF.
Jason Wu et al. · Circulation · 2012

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort study (n=3326) with objective biomarker measurement and long follow-up, though observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Association of Plasma Phospholipid Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids With Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults

Jason Wu et al. · Circulation · 2012

DOI 10.1161/circulationaha.111.062653

cohort · n=3326Cited 140×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →