Big studies show the impact of fish oil capsules is not as great as we hoped
Fish oil is now the third most widely used dietary supplement in the United States, after multivitamins and calcium, according to the National Institutes of Health.
At least 10 percent of Americans take fish oil regularly, believing that the omega-3s in the supplements protect their cardiovascular health.
But according to The New York Times, there is a big problem: Recent studies published in medical journals, such as Archives of Internal Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and the British BMJ, show the impact isn't as powerful as once thought.
Partly because study participants take state-of-the-art medications, such as statins, blood thinners, and blood pressure drugs, the effect of fish oil supplements is negligible.
From 2005 to 2012, at least two dozen rigorous studies of fish oil were published in leading medical journals, most of which looked at whether fish oil could prevent heart attacks in high-risk populations. All but two of these studies found that, compared with a placebo, fish oil showed no benefit.
Yet during this time, sales of fish oil more than doubled, not just in the United States but worldwide, said Andrew Grey, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He is also the author of a 2014 study on fish oil published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
It's all about omega-3s, the two fatty-acids in fish that our bodies can't make, DHA and EPA.
Get omegas naturally
Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines are rich in the omega-3s DHA and EPA, which have roles in brain function, normal growth and development, and anti-inflammation. They have also been positively linked to cardiovascular disease, some cancers, arthritis, and other diseases.
But eating fish, the real thing, provides much more than just omega-3s. It also brings other nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Foods containing natural omega-3s include walnuts, pumpkin seeds, winter squashes, canola oil and flaxseeds.
