FISH OIL PILLS ARE THEY THAT GOOD FOR YOUR HEART?
THE millions who down fish oil to protect their heart would do better to eat vegetables instead, say experts.
Popular supplements, including omega-3, provide little or no benefit and could even reduce levels of “good” cholesterol, analysis of studies showed.
University of Sheffield Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine Tim Chico said yesterday: “Such supplements come with a significant cost so my advice to anyone buying them in the hope that they reduce the risk of heart disease – spend money on vegetables instead.”
Fatty acids found in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna are known to provide significant benefits for the heart and form a key part of the fabled Mediterranean diet.
Yet millions of Britons swear by a daily dose of omega-3 from a pill in the belief the same benefits can be harnessed and prevent heart disease.
Researchers examined evidence of their impact on heart disease, stroke and death.
Scientists from the UK-founded Cochrane organisation, a worldwide network of experts informing health policy, pooled findings from 79 trials involving 112,059 people.
Studies carried out in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia investigated the effect on the heart and arteries of taking omega-3 and fish oil supplements.
They found “high-certainty evidence” that long-chain omega-3 fats had “no meaningful effect” on death risk. They also had “little or no” impact on the risk of heart attacks, strokes or heart irregularities.
However, there was some evidence supplements reduced high-density lipoprotein – cholesterol known to protect arteries from damage.
Lead researcher Dr Lee Hooper, from the University of East Anglia, said: “The review provides good evidence taking omega-3 supplements does not benefit heart health or reduce our risk of stroke or death from any cause. The most trustworthy studies consistently showed little or no effect.”
Half of all British adults are thought to take food supplements, a market worth an estimated £500million.
People who had suffered a heart attack were prescribed omega-3 supplements on the NHS but this practice has now stopped.
Prof Chico said: “When we try to identify the beneficial element of the diet and give it as a supplement it generally has little or no benefit.”