OMEGA -3 pills offer ' little or no health benefits' for heart health

Increased consumption of omega 3 fats via supplements offer little or no protection on cardiovascular diseases, according to a new review of clinical evidence, led by UK researchers.

They noted that increased consumption of omega 3 fats was widely promoted globally and they were readily available and bought as over-the-counter supplements.

The main types of omega 3 fatty acids are alpha­linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is normally found in fats from plant foods, while EPA and DHA – collectively called long chain omega 3 fats – are naturally found in fatty fish.

The Cochrane researchers found that increasing long-chain omega 3 provided little if any benefit on most outcomes that they looked at. They found high certainty evidence that long-chain omega 3 fats had little or no meaningful effect on the risk of death from any cause. The risk of death from any cause was 8.8% in people who had increased their intake of omega 3 fats, compared with 9% in people in the control groups, said the researchers. They also found that taking more long-chain omega 3 fats, primarily through supplements probably made little or no difference to risk of cardiovascular events, coronary heart deaths, coronary heart disease events, stroke or heart irregularities.

In contrast, long-chain omega 3 fats probably did reduce some blood fats, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol. Reducing triglycerides was likely to be protective of heart diseases, but reducing HDL has the opposite effect, noted the researchers.

Lead author Dr Lee Hooper, from the University of East Anglia, said: “The findings of this review go against the popular belief that long-chain omega 3 supplements, including fish oils, protect the heart.

He said the review also provided good evidence that taking long-chain omega 3, including fish oil, EPA or DHA supplements had no benefit for heart health or reducing the risk of stroke or death from any cause. Though oily fish was a healthy food, the researchers said they were unclear if increasing intake will show beneficial effects to the heart.

Victoria Taylor, senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Supplements are no replacement for a healthy diet.

“Supplements are no replacement for a healthy diet”

 “Our message is clear – rather than taking supplements to reduce your risk of having another heart attack or stroke, you should focus on eating a healthy, balanced, Mediterranean style diet”

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