Consuming Omega 3 Supplements Or Foods May Not Lower Heart Disease Risk: Study

Have you been taking your fish oil supplements diligently to consume omega 3 fatty acids, believing they are going to protect your heart? Well a new study has suggested that your diligence may not pay off and that fish oil supplements may actually do very little to reduce risk of heart diseases. A study published in the Cochrane Library has turned our beliefs about omega 3 and its effect on heart health on its head by concluding that these so-called 'essential nutrients' may have little or no effect on our risk of experiencing heart diseases, stroke or death. Consumption of this class of healthy fats found in foods like fatty fish, walnuts, cod liver oil, etc. has been widely promoted as healthy, due to its purported health benefits for the heart. However, this new study has claimed to have debunked this health myth by claiming that mortality risk in people who consumed omega 3 fatty acids was only marginally lower than those who didn't consume it.

The study said that risk of death from any cause was 8.8 per cent in people who had increased their consumption of omega 3 foods or supplements, while for those who didn't consume omega 3 fatty acids, the risk was 9 per cent. The study went on to conclude that consumption of foods or capsules for omega 3 will hardly have any effect on risk of cardiovascular events, coronary heart deaths, coronary heart disease events, stroke or heart irregularities. The study's lead author Lee Hooper from the University of East Anglia, UK said that he was confident about the results of the review, which go against the popular beliefs about omega 3 fatty acids, and about the fact that the supplements did not have any protective benefits for the heart.

He further added that the review provided 'good evidence' that consumption of long chain omega 3 (fish oil, DHA or EPA) did not substantially affect our risk of mortality from heart ailments. He also said that while fatty fish are considered healthy as they have a number of other health benefits, there isn't sufficient evidence linking their consumption to heart health. The study combines the results of 79 randomised trials conducted on 1,12,059 participants from North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.

(With IANS inputs)