Fish Oil Supplements May Be Bad for Healthy People
For people with healthy hearts, taking fish oil supplements may increase the risk of developing heart problems or having a stroke, according to a new study.
Many people take fish oil supplements to get omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for our health. The health benefits of these fatty acids are said to include reducing the risk of heart disease, dementia and joint pain.
In the US, one in five people aged over 60 takes fish oil supplements, believing they are good for heart health.
Now a team of researchers from China, the US, the UK and Denmark has studied the long-term health condition of people who take fish oil supplements.
The research team looked at around 12 years of data on over 415,000 people aged 40 to 69 taking part in the UK Biobank, a long-term health study in the UK. Nearly a third of the participants said they regularly took fish oil supplements.
The team found that, for people who did not already have heart problems, taking fish oil supplements was associated with a 5% increased risk of having a stroke, and a 13% increased risk of developing a heart condition called atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heartbeat that can sometimes cause the heart to beat too fast.
However, the researchers also found that, for people who already had heart problems at the start of the study period, taking fish oil supplements was associated with a 15% lower risk of progressing from atrial fibrillation to a heart attack, and a 9% lower risk of progressing from heart failure to death.
Health experts say that, for most people, a diet of various healthy foods is better than taking supplements.
To get enough omega-3 fatty acids from your diet, experts recommend eating oily fish like salmon, mackerel, anchovies and sardines once or twice a week. Walnuts, seaweed and soybeans are also good sources of omega-3.
