Nut Consumption and Decreased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Physicians' Health Study

Abstract

RECENT RANDOMIZED dietary trials have reported markedly reduced risks of recurrent events and cardiac death in patients assigned to the Mediterranean diet after a myocardial infarction.^1,2 In one trial, this benefit appeared to be at least partly due to an increase in the plasma level of α-linolenic acid (an n-3 fatty acid) in the Mediterranean diet arm.³ Small to moderate amounts of n-3 fatty acids have been demonstrated to have antiarrhythmic effects⁴ and to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients who have had a myocardial infarction.⁵ Therefore, the protective effects on cardiac mortality of the Mediterranean diet may be partly related to antiarrhythmic effects of n-3 fatty acids and resultant reduction in sudden cardiac death.