A $1.2 billion industry is under the scanner.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Wondering whether you should take fish oil pills to improve your health? The National Institutes of Health has some decisive advice for you, according to the Washington Post: yes, and no.
One page on the NIH website site endorses taking fish oil supplements, saying they are likely effective for heart disease, because they contain the “beneficial” fatty acids known as omega-3s.
But another page suggests the fish oil pills are superfluous: “Omega-3s in supplement form have not been shown to protect against heart disease.”
U.S. shoppers spend about $1.2 billion annually for fish oil pills and related supplements despite the “accrual of high-level evidence,” according to a review of studies published last year in an American Medical Association journal, showing “that the supplements lack efficacy across a range of health outcomes.”
The American Heart Association, recommends that some people with heart disease “may want to talk to their doctor about [omega-3] supplements.” But sticking with fish oil’s contradictory theme, when the Washington Post asked for an expert to explain the recommendation, that expert, former AHA president Robert Eckel, said that the recommendation needs to be revised.
“It would be a good time for that to be updated,” Eckel said. “Almost all studies of fish oil supplements show no benefit. I really feel this remains unproven,” he continued.
Regarding the dual-nature of the NIH web pages, Paul R. Thomas, a scientific consultant in NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements, said the page that endorses fish oil was provided to the NIH by a third party.
“Their conclusion that fish oil omega-3s are likely effective for heart disease is generous,” he informed The Post. “Whether fish oil can help healthy people prevent or reduce their risks of cardiovascular disease when taken over months and years is still an open scientific question.”
Globally, much of the fish oil market is captured by China and Japan, according to ApacMarket.com. Rising concern over chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and deterioration of the eyes and joints has led to a spike in the consumption of omega-3 fish oil in the region via pharmaceuticals, supplements, and functional food application.