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Health See other Health Articles Title: Fish Oil Supplements Will Lighten Your Wallet But Won't Help Your Heart Oh, fish oil supplements. We had such high hopes for you and your omega-3 fatty acids—you were supposed to boost our brain power and make our hearts healthier. Turns out you’re pretty much worthless. A study released today in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that fish oil supplements weren’t linked with a lower risk of death from all causes, cardiac deaths or sudden deaths, nor were they associated with reduced odds of having a stroke or heart attack. Researchers scrutinized 20 studies that included 68,680 patients to draw that conclusion. Omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in fatty fish such as salmon and some vegetable oils, may reduce inflammation and lower triglyceride levels, making them good for cardiovascular health. Since our bodies can’t make them we have to consume them, and there are longstanding debates about whether that’s best done through supplements or foods. MORE: The Diet That Trumps Them All Studies on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which is big on fish and nuts, have helped push the idea that omega-3 fatty acids are an essential part of good health. In the JAMA study all but two of the studies analyzed used supplements, and the average supplement dose was 1.51 grams per day taken for an average of two years. In most studies the supplements were taken by people who already had a heart attack or some form of cardiovascular disease. “Our findings do not justify the use of omega-3 as a structured intervention in everyday clinical practice or guidelines supporting dietary omega-3 (polyunsaturated fatty acid) administration,” the authors wrote. So where does that leave us? Back to eating fish, since that may be where the benefits truly are (By the way, McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish doesn’t count. Sorry). That’s not great news for people who don’t love fish—which is a lot of people—and for those who think that taking a pill is the preferred way to solve health problems. MORE: Why Are We Afraid of Fish? It’s also not great news for the supplement industry—if people pay attention to studies like this, which they may not. USA Today reports that sales of fish oil supplements are healthy, with Americans spending 1.1 billion on them in 2011, an increase of 5.4 percent over 2010. Dr. Howard Weintraub, clinical director of New York University Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, told ABC News, “Patients and doctors like the idea that it is natural and has no real side effects.” On the flip side, Dr. Steven Nissen, professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine told ABC, “There's never been any compelling evidence of a clinical benefit.” Of course, there’s always the placebo effect--if you don’t mind spending $30 a bottle for it. Poster Comment: Mangoville The wording in this headline/ article is irresponsible and misleading (like so many other "health news" articles in the lay media). The author says in the top paragraph that it "Turns out [fish oil supplements & Omega 3s] you’re pretty much worthless" -- but then goes on to admit in a later paragraph that "Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce inflammation and lower triglyceride levels, making them good for cardiovascular health." [Those are just two of MANY health benefits that decades of reputable studies have linked to Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Omega 3s are FAR FAR from "worthless." The author exposed her ignorance.] The author and/or Yahoo's editor chose to go for a flippant saucy headline and first paragraph instead of accurately reporting the science. This article fails to clarify -- the average dose was 1.5 grams of WHAT? Fish oil, or (forms of Omega 3 called) EPA/ DHA that are contained in fish oil? Because most fish oil formulas contain only a small percentage of omega 3 -- so that might be why these new results did not find a significant benefit... versus higher-potency fish oil formulas that contain a much higher percentage of Omega 3 EPA/ DHA. As with many things in science/ medicine/ pharmacology, there may be a threshold level for the dose that must be met before the beneficial effect occurs. (That's called a "dose dependent" effect.) That does not mean that ALL fish oil supplements are "worthless" -- and it certainly does not mean that Omega 3 fatty acids are "worthless." FAR from it. Too many people will be steered wrong by that misleading headline. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 2.
#2. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
The only studies really worth paying attention to are prospective, and preferably double-blind.
There are no replies to Comment # 2. End Trace Mode for Comment # 2.
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