nutrition
There’s something fishy about fish oil.
Scientists say the popular supplement is expected to generate an estimated $2.4 billion in global sales by 2030, but may not offer any health benefits.
But that hasn’t stopped manufacturers from making outrageous claims on the packaging of fish oil supplements.
A recent study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, found that fish oil supplement labels make health claims that are completely unsubstantiated by any research.
“Based on what I personally saw in grocery stores and pharmacies, I was not surprised to see such a high rate of health claims for fish oil supplements,” says study co-author Joanna Asadourian. told Medscape Cardiology.
“But what was surprising was how wide-ranging the types of claims were made, from heart and brain health to joint health, eye health and immune function,” Asadourian added.
There are two types of health claims on supplement packaging. Qualifying health claims refer to the supplement’s potential to treat or prevent disease and require Food and Drug Administration approval.
A claim can describe how a supplement supports the body’s functions (e.g., “supports immune function”), but cannot go so far as to say that it prevents, treats, or cures any disease. It must be less than that.
Of the 2,819 fish oil supplements researchers examined, 74% made at least one health claim. Of these, only 19% used qualified FDA-approved health claims, and the rest made broad or unproven claims about how the ingredient is structured and functions in the body. I did.
In addition to heart health claims, many fish oil supplements have health benefits for other organs, including the brain, mental health, joint health, and eye health, even though there is no clinical trial data to support those claims. It is claimed that it also benefits the system.
“Labels can be very misleading to the public,” says Dr. Joanne E. Munson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“People are faced with a dizzying array of nutritional supplements, many of which contain structure and function claims that require minimal if any evidence of efficacy.” she added.
“Enthusiasm for these supplements exceeds the evidence from rigorous randomized clinical trials.”
Approximately 20% of people over the age of 60 take fish oil supplements.
Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish such as salmon and mackerel offer health benefits, but the same is not true for omega-3 fatty acids obtained from supplement capsules.
in 2018 study of over 15,000 people with diabetesthe risk of serious cardiovascular events did not differ between those taking omega-3 supplements and those not taking them.
a 2019 survey with over 25,000 participants They found that fish oil supplements had no effect on reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular events (such as heart attack or stroke) or cancer.
Most nutritionists recommend getting omega-3s and other fatty acids from dietary sources rather than relying on supplements.
source of healthy fatty acids, According to the National Institutes of Healthinclude:
- Cold water fish such as salmon, herring, tuna, sardines, and mackerel
- Flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans, canola, olive oil
- chia seeds
- walnut
- olive
- egg
The authors of the latest study Published in JAMA Cardiologywe found that there are major gaps in the current way supplements are labeled.
“Strengthening regulations on dietary supplement labeling may be necessary to prevent consumer misinformation,” they wrote.
