Fish oil tablets have ‘no benefit’ in preventing heart disease: Study

Millions of people across the world take fish oil tablets rich in omega-3 fatty acids every day, in the hopes it could help prevent heart disease.

However, a recent study has found the popular supplements may not be helping at all – and could actually be a “waste of time and money”.

An analysis of 10 trials of the supplements, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in March, found fish oil doses ranging from 226mg to 1800mg a day of the omega-3 fatty acids and oils offered no significant protection against “major vascular events”, The Times reported.

The study focused on 77,197 older adults, who took different forms of fish oil supplements over four years. Now, lead researcher and Oxford professor Robert Clarke has advised people to swap them for a healthy diet.

“Millions of people take these things,” Clarke told the publication. “But we have shown there is no benefit to them in the prevention of heart disease. Spend your money on fresh fruit and vegetables, things that will improve your health, instead. You don’t need these pills cluttering up your bathroom cabinet.”

He said fish itself can offer nutritional benefits for the heart, and it’s more likely that fish eaters are healthier because they consume less meat.

Read more: The benefits of fish oil

Today show medical expert, Dr Penny Adams, weighed in on the debate on the show and said the new findings came from “good quality research and publications”, and summarised that they had found taking the supplements was a “waste of time and money”.

Offering her own opinion on eating fish, she said: “We actually don’t know if it’s eating the fish or whether the people who eat fish regularly have a healthier diet anyway, or if it’s because they’re eating less red meat. We really don’t know.

“It boils down to the same boring Dr Penny advice – healthy, balanced diet, have some fish in your diet, a small amount of red meat, lots of vegetables, keep the alcohol down, don’t smoke and do regular exercise.”

Read more: Beat pain the natural way with fish oil, herbs and more

Asked her opinion on supplements specifically, she added: “I don’t take any supplements, none whatsoever.” She went on: “The other issue with fish oil tablets is, I’ve had a lot of patients come in with bruising and we know that fish oil can cause increased bruising, so it might actually be doing you harm. But based on this big study, waste of time and money.”

Fish oil is one of the most widely used supplements in the world, in the hope it will protect cardiovascular health. Experts have previously insisted omega-3 fatty acids help improve heart health.

These fatty acids have been found to lower triglyceride levels, essentially a type of fat found in your blood. Having high levels of this blood fat puts you at risk for heart disease.

Do you take fish oil supplements? Will you carry on taking them despite the new research?