Jessica Dean's Healthy Living: Fish Oil, Help or Hinder?
By: Jessica Dean, KARK 4 Today
Updated: September 12, 2012
Millions of Americans choke down large fish oil supplements every day coughing up more than one billion dollars a year, based on the belief the pills can help prevent heart disease.
Now, a large review of research shows no overall heart benefit to taking omega-3 fatty acid, or fish oil, supplements. There was a small reduced risk for heart-related deaths but researchers say it wasn't significant.
According to the council for responsible nutrition, nearly a quarter of all US adults take fish oil pills. In a statement, the organization suggested the research results were skewed because the "combined studies were not comparable in their design."
Other forms of heart disease prevention have been well documented. Those include healthy eating and exercising, which doctors say is more important than the supplement. Some doctors say what we should really be focused on is getting those nutrients from real food, For example, omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in oily fish, like salmon and tuna, flax seed and walnuts.
Now, a large review of research shows no overall heart benefit to taking omega-3 fatty acid, or fish oil, supplements. There was a small reduced risk for heart-related deaths but researchers say it wasn't significant.
According to the council for responsible nutrition, nearly a quarter of all US adults take fish oil pills. In a statement, the organization suggested the research results were skewed because the "combined studies were not comparable in their design."
Other forms of heart disease prevention have been well documented. Those include healthy eating and exercising, which doctors say is more important than the supplement. Some doctors say what we should really be focused on is getting those nutrients from real food, For example, omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in oily fish, like salmon and tuna, flax seed and walnuts.
