A long-term study in France has shown that high levels of free fatty acids may be associated with abnormal heartbeats that can lead to sudden death in middle-aged men. Researchers have known that high levels of these substances could trigger irregular heart rhythms in people with heart disease, but this study was done among healthy men.

Fats that we eat are stored in fat tissue. When they are released from their storage sites, they circulate as free fatty acids. A number of factors, including smoking cigarettes, fasting, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or heart attack can trigger the release of fatty acids. This study followed more than 5,000 middle-aged men for an average of 22 years. The researcher' reached their conclusions after adjusting the data for age, heart rate, tobacco use, blood pressure and other factors. They found that the risk of sudden death increased as levels of the free fatty acids increased: those with the highest levels were 30% more likely to experience sudden cardiac death than those with moderate levels. Sudden cardiac death is different from a fatal heart attack; it is often caused by irregular heart rhythms that prevent the heart from pumping blood.

There are suggestions that some fatty acids (omega-3) may be protective while others (omega-6) cause fatal events. An editorial in the same issue of the American Heart Association journal Circulation as this study suggests that increasing omega-3 fatty acids in your diet - which come from fatty fish or canola oil, and decreasing omega-6 fatty acids - which are found in plant seed oils such as corn, safflower, sunflower oil, is a way to reduce the risk. (See this week's Healthy Eating tip for more information on sources of omega-3 fatty acids.)

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