Are fish oil pills a load of old cod?
... almost certainly, says 5:2 diet guru from Trust Me, I’m A Doctor
THEY are touted as the elixir of life – golden capsules that promise to protect us from heart attacks, lubricate aching joints and even ward off dementia.
One in seven British adults takes daily fish oil capsules, believing their omega-3 fatty acids are good for body and mind. Even more take them occasionally, meaning there is a jar tucked away in almost every home in the UK, with £100million a year spent on the supplements.
Their popularity has soared since scientists managed to put the liquid in odourless capsules, consigning bottles of pungent cod liver oil largely to history. Since 2004, sales have risen by 40 per cent.
But now growing medical opinion and research has cast doubt on the efficacy of the pills.
Dr Michael Mosley, presenter of the BBC2 programme Trust Me, I’m A Doctor, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘None of the studies into fish oil supplements I have seen has left me convinced they make much difference. I have doubts about taking supplements in general, until proven otherwise, because food contains so many different components.
‘If you isolate one component and take it as a supplement, you are in danger of throwing out the baby with the bath water.’
Dr Mosley and the Trust Me team are now planning an experiment to test whether fish oil supplements, and fish itself, bring us the benefits they are meant to.
They want to recruit 60 people aged 35 and over for a 12-week study to see if fish or supplements help make the blood less likely to clot, improve mental alertness and reduce the risk of depression.
Dr Mosley, who made popular the 5:2 diet, said he believed eating fish itself would have by far the stronger effect. ‘It’s not that I don’t believe fish oil supplements have any effect, but I haven’t seen any evidence that convinces me they do,’ he said. ‘That’s why we want to do the study.’ A similar experiment on his BBC programme tested the Indian spice turmeric, which is now put into pill form and sold as a popular health supplement, thanks to its apparent ability to help the body fight cancer. But in a trial conducted for Trust Me by researchers at University College, London, those volunteers who took turmeric pills experienced no such boost to their body’s cancer-fighting capabilities. By contrast, those who took a teaspoon of turmeric powder every day – by mixing it into yogurt or a glass of warm milk – saw a cancer-fighting gene in their cells become more active. Dr Mosley said: ‘ Tu rm e r i c seems to work if you take it with fatty foods and if you cook with it, but not if you just take it in the form of a supplement.’
Dr Carrie Ruxton, from the Health Supplements Information Service, said official figures showed that many people were not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids, but the jury was ‘still out’ over the efficacy of the pills.
She said: ‘The body needs fatty acids for normal heart and brain function. The Government’s Scientific Advisory Commission on Nutrition has set a recommended level of 450mg a day, but the population average is half that.’
The results of the fish oil capsules study will be revealed in the next series of the programme, due to be broadcast in 2017. Volunteers can apply at bbc.co.uk/trustme.