"Fish Oil Supplements No Help to Heart or Brain"

[Korn]

From PCRM, June 14, 2012

Fish Oil Supplements No Help to Heart or Brain Two new studies found that omega-3 supplements, often sold in the form of fish oil, do not improve the health of the brain or heart. After following more than 12,500 type 2 diabetes patients over the age of 50 for an average of 6.2 years, researchers saw no difference in heart health between those taking an omega-3 supplement versus a placebo. Diabetes patients are two to four times more likely to suffer from heart disease or a stroke, compared with people without diabetes. Another recent meta-analysis came to the same conclusion for people with a history of heart problems. Additionally, in a new review looking at omega-3 supplementation for brain health, researchers found no link between omega-3 supplements and the prevention or improvement of dementia. Bosch J, Gerstein HC, Diaz R, et al. n–3 fatty Acids and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with dysglycemia. N Engl J Med. Published online June 11, 2012. Kwak SM, Myung SK, Lee YJ. Efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplements (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Arch Intern Med. Published ahead of print, April 9, 2012. Dangour AD, Andreeva VA, Sydenham E, Uauy R. Omega 3 fatty acids and cognitive health in older people. Br J Nutr. 2012;107:S152-S158. For information about nutrition and health, please visit www.pcrm.org/. Breaking Medical News is a service of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 5100 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20016.

Links to the actual studies:
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1203859

CONCLUSIONS

Daily supplementation with 1 g of n–3 fatty acids did not reduce the rate of cardiovascular events in patients at high risk for cardiovascular events. (Funded by Sanofi; ORIGIN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00069784.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22493407 :

CONCLUSION:

Our meta-analysis showed insufficient evidence of a secondary preventive effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplements against overall cardiovascular events among patients with a history of cardiovascular disease.

As we know, scientific studies don't always agree with each other....

[splodge]

Maybe it's something to with the fact that it contains high levels of methyl mercury, which is toxic