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Perhaps in Burr’s subjects with chronic angina
there was extensive ischemia and fibrosis with partially depolarized
myocytes in a large proportion of the ventricular myocardium so their
cardiac function was dependent on the contraction of these partially
depolarized myocytes. Then an increased intake of fish oil might eliminate
the function of these partially depolarized heart cells and the vital
pumping function of the heart would also be eliminated. We have asked Burr
to have the autopsy findings examined on the hearts of patients who died in
his study. He reported to us that the pathology showed just what we
expected, namely extensive ischemia and fibrosis through out much of the
myocardium. An even more recently published paper has apparently encountered
the same difficulty as Burr and associates did, judged by the high
proportion (62%) of their subjects receiving the fish oil supplement, who
had NYHA functional class iii and iv congestive heart failure. |