Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Fish oil is a popular supplement used by both adults and children. Its usage is only outpaced only by the use of vitamins and minerals.[1] There’s probably a chance you’ve been tempted to take it for a variety of reasons, so let’s dive into what the research says about its proposed health benefits. Here are four common myths related to the consumption of fish oil products.
Fish Oil Reduces the Risk of Cardiovascular Events
One of the most popular reasons that people take fish oil supplements is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. However, the majority of clinical trials have shown that taking a fish oil supplement has no effect on your risk of cardiovascular issues. According to a New York Times article, there have been at least 24 well-designed studies published in reputable medical journals.[2] In all but 2 of these studies, whether people took a fish oil pill or placebo made no difference in their outcome.
During the time of these studies, fish oil sales skyrocketed which leads me to an important point for you to consider as a consumer: Marketing companies take a singular fact, create a story around it, and then pitch it to you. I cannot tell you the number of health fads and diet trends that have been created with little to no backing by science because marketing companies have taken a story or small fact and blown it up.
Fish oil supplements are a great case in point. Omega-3 fatty acids are said to thin blood and reduce inflammation. Both of which are factors in coronary artery disease. Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids and the FDA approved three prescription fish oil products to lower high triglycerides. So, taking them must reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, right? Despite evidence that taking these pills don’t do what they say they will do, marketers turned the facts into a story that told people this would help reduce their risk of cardiac events. Do you see how easy it is to be convinced, off one fact, that something is true when there is so much more to the story?!
Fish Oil is Essential for Omega-3 Production
Many people are told by their health practitioners that they should take fish oil supplements because their bodies are not efficient at converting ALA to EPA and DHA. However, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that this isn’t necessarily the case.[3] Researchers found that although vegans and vegetarians had lower intakes of EPA and DHA than their meat-eating and fish-eating counterparts, their blood levels were about the same. They concluded that when EPA and DHA are not consumed in supplements, your body is actually more efficient at converting ALA to EPA and DHA. It is important to keep in mind when sifting through information like this, that EPA and DHA are not categorized as essential fatty acids because your body is able to make this conversion itself when it needs to.
Fish Oil Helps Reduce Postpartum Depression
Fish oil is also commonly recommended to pregnant women, by their doctors, to help their baby’s developing brain and to reduce postpartum depression. Would you be surprised if I told you that research does not support this claim either? A study of 2,399 women published in the Journal of the American Medical Association evaluated postpartum depression in the mothers and the cognitive and language development of the babies after birth until 18 months.[4] The women were either given fish oil with DHA or a placebo. There were no differences in outcomes.
Don’t hear me saying that DHA isn’t important. It is vitally so! What we see here is that supplemental DHA is not effective. In this case DHA taken in by the mother in food is synthesized by her body and transmitted to the baby through the placenta. There is a significant difference between consuming nutrients in food versus taking those same nutrients in isolated form. Research shows time and time again that not only is there very little benefit, in many cases there is also substantial risk of harm.
Fish Oil Helps to Lower Inflammation
Despite the lack of evidence to show the benefits of taking fish oil supplements, 95% of health practitioners continue to recommend them[5] and 81% of these practitioners say that they recommend the supplements to reduce inflammation. But why are these people still recommending a supplement that doesn’t work? There could be many reasons for this, however, one of the most crucial is that many health practitioners look at blood work as the gold standard for determining the efficacy of a treatment. It is important for you to remember, as a consumer, that just because the blood work looks pretty, doesn’t mean that what you are doing is accomplishing the purpose for which you are doing it.
In an 18-week randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial, subjects either took a fish oil supplement with 1400mg of EPA and DHA every day or a placebo. Blood work showed a 64% increase in red blood cell EPA and DHA but there was no effect on any markers for inflammation.[6] One of the best things that you can do, to lower inflammation, is reduce the amount of animal foods in your diet because they are a concentrated source of arachidonic acid, which is a precursor to inflammation producing hormones. Alongside this, you can work on keeping your weight at a healthy level. Fat cells produce inflammatory cytokines. There are many ways to reduce your inflammation without taking a useless, expensive supplement with known side effects.
I hope that reading these four myths have set you free from the power of the fish oils salesman. While your body needs Omega-3 fatty acids, these can be found in many different whole foods that don’t come risks or side effects.
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[1] https://www.nccih.nih.gov/news/press-releases/nationwide-study-reports-shifts-in-americans-use-of-natural-products
[2] Anahad O’Connor “Fish Oil Claims Not Supported by Research” New York Times March 30, 2015 http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/fish-oil-claims-not-supported-by-research/?emc=eta1&_r=0
[3] Welch, AA, Shakya-Shrestha, S, Lentjes, MAH, et al. “Dietary intake and status of n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in a population of fish-eating and non-fish-eating meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans and the precursor-product ratio of {alpha}-linolenic acid to long-chain n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: results from the EPIC-Norfolk cohort1,2,3.”Am J Clin Nutr November 2010, Volume 92, Number 5, Pages 1040-1051, doi:10.3945/ajcn.2010.29457
[4] Makrides M, Gibson, R, McPhee A et al. “Effect of DHA Supplementation During Pregnancy on Maternal Depression and Neurodevelopment of Young Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” JAMA. 2010;304(15):167
[5] Hank Schultz “Practitioners ignore bad press, continue to recommend omega-3’s, survey finds.” Food Navigator Aug 8 2014
[6] Muldoon M, Laderian B, Kuan D, Sereika S, Marsland A, Manuck S. (Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA; Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL; University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; and University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA). “Fish oil supplementation does not lower C-reactive protein or interleukin-6 levels in healthy adults.” J Intern Med 2015;doi: 10.1111/joim.12442.