New Research on Omega-3 Supplements
- New research indicates that taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements has no effect on cancer or heart disease risk.
- Two new studies looked at combined data from dozens of randomized trials.
- One study found that the supplements could actually slightly increase a man’s prostate cancer risk.
Many of us have heard about the various benefits of taking Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) in supplement form, however, like many so-called miracle pills, new research is indicating that the supplements don’t actually reduce the risk of cancer or heart disease. Two studies found there was essentially no effect — good or bad — when it came to cancer or heart disease risk for people taking the supplements.
Read MoreThe Cochrane study found that taking omega-3 supplements had little to no affect on overall mortality, but there was a slight decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease mortality and coronary heart disease events.
To put the decreased risk into perspective, study authors note, “334 people would need to take more long-chain omega-3 for several years for one person to avoid dying of coronary heart disease, and 167 people would need to take more to avoid one person experiencing a coronary heart disease event.”
The study published in the British Journal of Cancer noted that the slight increase in cancer death rates were “offset by small protective effects on cardiovascular diseases.”
What Are Omega-3 Fatty Acids?
Omega-3 fatty acids are found mostly in seafood, especially in high-fat fish like salmon and tuna. Many people attempt to get Omega-3s from fish oil supplements. In fact, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found in a 2012 survey that fish oil supplements were the most common non-vitamin or mineral natural product consumed by American adults.
There are a lot of claims about what Omega-3 fatty acids can do for our bodies. If you do a quick Google search, you can find claims about everything from cancer prevention to decreasing anxiety and depression to reducing ADHD in children. The American Cancer Society even touts the benefits of consuming Omega-3s, noting that several animal studies have “found that these fatty acids may stop cancer from forming or slow its growth, but it is not clear if they can affect cancer risk in humans.”
Still, the questions remains, can you get the omega-3 fatty acids your body needs from food alone — or will a supplement help?
Should You Take Omega-3s?
The new research is indicating that Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may not actually come packed with the health benefits many people think they do.
Lee Hooper, a reader in nutrition at Norwich Medical School who worked on both new studies, told the New York Times that the evidence is just not there to support the benefit of these supplements.
“We've tried to get it right," she said. "We've tried to make sure all the details are there. We've tried to check every way to make sure we're not missing something. And all we see is these tiny harms and benefits that appear to balance each other out."
In a previous conversation with SurvivorNet, Dr. Ann Partridge, an oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said that there has been a lot of talk about using vitamins or supplements as a method of cancer prevention — and even treatment. And unfortunately, these claims are simply not backed up by science.
Dr. Ann Partridge explains the lure of vitamins and supplements when it comes to cancer prevention and treatment.
“Wouldn’t it be much nicer to take a vitamin and treat your cancer? … we’ve been burned before in the medical community, where we’ve tested vitamins in terms of prevention of cancers and found that, actually, the people who took the vitamins actually had more cancer,” Dr. Partridge said. “A lot of people are selling hope.”
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