Fish Oil Supplments and the Science Behind Them

The Wall Street Journals opens a recent article on fish oil noting "Hardly a month goes by without a study suggesting that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil can fend off disease -- including heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer's disease, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, psoriasis and even attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder." Does this mean that taking omega-3-rich fish oil supplements is the path to perfect health? If you think so, you aren't alone. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are exploding, topping $600 million last year.

Despite all of the sales hoopla, there are some questions about exactly how much benefit people are getting from these purchases. One issue concerns the differential between the doses typically taken by consumers versus those used in clinical trials.

"The kind of benefits seen in most of the clinical trials with omega-3 generally have involved much higher doses than you see recommended on supplement labels," says Charles Serhan, a Harvard Medical School expert on omega-3's activity. "But although a large number of studies have used industrial-level doses," he adds, "we don't have rigorous scientific evidence about what the doses should be."

Does that mean you should eschew fish oil supplements until further analysis is completed? Probably not. This is because other that the occasional burp, there appears to be little risk in taking them and a lot of potential benefits. Furthermore, there is reason to believe that even low doses bring benefits. Like most things in health, absolutes are difficult to come by, therefore a good strategy is to eat balanced meals, get exercise and consult your doctor about supplements that may make sense for your particular physiology. For many, fish oil supplements will fit the bill unless and until evidence arises to the contrary.

Source: Wall Street Journal