Ventricular Arrhythmia

Overview

Fish Oil is the only supplement studied for ventricular arrhythmia, with eight trials and mixed results. Oral fish oil does not appear to prevent serious heart rhythm problems or reduce death in people with ventricular arrhythmias. One study found fewer rhythm events in people taking fish oil regularly for nearly a year, but other trials found no benefit and some suggested possible increased risky rhythms in certain heart failure patients.

Fish Oil carries low effect-size and evidence ratings with medium trust. See the heatmap and evidence reviews below for more detail.

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Fish Oil	★★★★★	Very Low / None

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Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceHighTrustMedium

Evidence Review

Taking fish oil by mouth does not seem to prevent serious heart rhythm problems or reduce death in people who have had ventricular arrhythmias.
Eating a lot of fish does not lower the risk of early abnormal heartbeats.
Clinical studies show mixed results.
One study found no overall benefit, although people who took fish oil regularly for nearly a year had fewer heart rhythm events.
Other studies found no benefit and some showed fish oil might increase risky heart rhythms in some patients with heart devices.
Overall, fish oil does not reduce serious heart rhythm events or death in these patients.

Browse 8 studies4 meta-analyses

MetaAssessing the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on ventricular tachyarrhythmia and survival in patients with ICDs: A systematic review and meta-analysis2024

A systematic review and meta-analysis found that fish oil had no significant antiarrhythmic properties and conferred no survival advantages for individuals with ICDs. [10585]

Effect: No Benefit
Population: Patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators

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MetaDo omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce risk of sudden cardiac death and ventricular arrhythmias? A meta-analysis of randomized trials2013n=32,919

A meta-analysis including a total of 32,919 patients (16,645 receiving omega-3 PUFA and 16,454 receiving placebo) found no significant effects for sudden cardiac death (SCD) or ventricular arrhythmia risk. There was a reduced risk of SCD or ventricular arrhythmias but this was non-significant (p = 0.21). [10586]

Effect: No Benefit
Participants: 32,919

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Systematic reviewEffect of fish oil on arrhythmias and mortality: systematic review2008n=1,148

A meta-analysis of 12 studies including 32,779 patients found that fish oil supplementation had no significant effect on arrhythmias or all-cause mortality. Fish oil was associated with a significant reduction in deaths (20% to 26%) from cardiovascular events in patients after myocardial infarction or with coronary artery disease. The study authors recommend a daily formulation similar to that used in the GISSI-Prevenzione trial or 465 mg EPA/386 mg DHA. [10587]

Effect: No Benefit
Dose: 386 mg/day
Population: CAD patients
Participants: 1,148

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MetaFish-oil supplementation in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators: a meta-analysis2008n=573

A meta-analysis of 3 ICD trials (573 patients, 1–2 years) found fish oil did not significantly reduce ventricular arrhythmia episodes requiring ICD discharge versus placebo.

Effect: No Benefit
Population: Patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
Participants: 573
Ages: 1–2

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RCTEffect of fish oil on ventricular tachyarrhythmia and death in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators: the Study on Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Ventricular Arrhythmia (SOFA) randomized trial2006n=273

In 546 ICD patients over ~1 year, 2 g/day fish oil did not reduce ventricular tachyarrhythmia or death versus placebo (30% vs 33%, HR 0.86, P=0.33) in the SOFA trial.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 14–379 days
Dose: 2 g/day
Population: Patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
Participants: 273

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RCTEffects of n-3 fatty acids from fish on premature ventricular complexes and heart rate in humans2005n=84

A 14-week study of 84 patients (≥ 1440 premature ventricular contractions/24 h) found that 1.5 g/day omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil reduced the number of PVCs by 867/24 hr more than placebo, but this result was not significant. There was a significant reduction in heart rate of 2.1 beats/min from omega-3 supplementation. [10588]

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 14 weeks
Dose: 1.5 g/day
Population: Patients with frequent premature ventricular complexes
Participants: 84

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RCTFish oil supplementation and risk of ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation in patients with implantable defibrillators: a randomized controlled trial2005n=200

A study of 200 patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) found that 1.8 g/day fish oil (72% omega-3 content) did not reduce the risk of recurrent ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. For recurrent VT/VF, fish oil may be proarrhythmic after 6, 12 and 24 months daily intake. [10589]

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 20–828 days
Dose: 1.8 g/day
Population: Patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
Participants: 200

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RCTPrevention of fatal arrhythmias in high-risk subjects by fish oil n-3 fatty acid intake2005

In 402 ICD patients over 12 months, fish oil versus olive oil did not significantly prolong time to first ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation event or death in the primary intention-to-treat analysis.

Effect: Benefit
Duration: 12 months
Population: Post-MI patients

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Evidence visualised

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Effect-size distribution

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Study distribution across 1 supplements for ventricular arrhythmia (8 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Meta-analyses	Share
Fish Oil	★★★★★40%	8	4	100%

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