fish oil - yes or no? and doctors' advice...

[Ken Gargett]

interesting piece on taking fish oil.

personally, i used to take a capsule daily until about a decade ago. i'd had clots from flyng too much (not DVT but sapaphaneous or something like that - apparently not as bad but still not ideal). after one attempt with a nice bloke as a doctor but seriously weird and near useless. 'you have what? let's google it' is not what you want to hear, the doctors in my family got me in to see a local GP specialist for want of a better title. had a full book but was friends with rellies so i got in. he was - now retired sadly - 'the doctor the doctors use' i was told, and the one they are scared of. he was brilliant. 

first 'inspection' took ages and he checked everything. i told him about cigars which i don't smoke that often in comparison with many (and wine etc). he said, 'do you enjoy the cigars?' yes. 'then don't stop'. 

he did the big check about every 6 months. on that first visit, he asked me to list everything i took. wasn't much. occasional vit C and/or B, milk thistle, fish oil. 

his advice? bundle them all up, dump them in the bin and use the money you save to buy a better class of red. ho could you not love a doc like that? 

Why You May Need to Re-Think Taking Those Fish Oil Supplements

BY JAKE ROSSEN

 

AUGUST 6, 2018

 

ISTOCK

Long touted as a key to improved cardiovascular health, increased cognition, and other benefits, omega-3 supplements are facing increasing scrutiny over whether they work as advertised. If recent critical investigation is correct, you might be enduring fish burps for little to no benefit.

Reviewing the new book The Omega Principle by Paul Greenberg in Slate, Irineo Cabreros breaks down the dilemma facing the $15 billion omega-3 supplement industry. A recent meta-analysis that looked at 79 studies involving more than 100,000 subjects found that omega-3 consumption had virtually no effect on common heart conditions. An earlier examination of studies compiled in 2012 also found that supplementing with omega-3s had no impact on whether a person died as a result of a cardiac event. Consumption also had no impact on overall mortality. Studies that have looked at fish oil’s benefits when it comes to psychiatric conditions like depression have been similarly inconclusive.

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FOOD

Mesmerizing Marble Cakes

So why do we believe omega-3s are synonymous with better health? The notion originally stemmed from research into an Inuit population in Greenland in the 1970s. The Inuit had low incidences of heart problems and ate a lot of fatty fish. The conclusion was that their oily fish-based diets had protective effects on the heart. Ever since, supplement companies and consumers have associated fish oil, in liquid or capsule form, as having a host of cardiovascular benefits. But more contemporary research illustrates that the Inuit might simply metabolize their fish-heavy diet differently, leading to effects that can’t necessarily be replicated in a general population.

While fish oil may not improve heart health, it’s not likely to do you any harm. Unfortunately, the same may not hold true for the environment. According to Greenberg’s book, supplement companies typically draw the raw material for their products from large quantities of forage fish that are captured for their oil and agricultural value as fertilizer and animal feed—up to 27 tons annually. Forage species like anchovies and krill play a key role in the aquatic ecosystem: As prey species, they transmit solar energy from plankton to larger carnivorous fish. If companies continue to winnow their population, it’s possible their absence could have unintended and unpredictable effects on food chains. Greenberg argues that continuing to weaken fish populations for supplements of dubious value may be something we’ll come to regret.

In the meantime, one thing experts can agree on is that eating actual fish is good for your body. The American Heart Association recommendseating two 3.5-ounce servings of fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, and albacore tuna weekly.

[luckme10]

I take fish oil for my ezcema. I find it helps.

[Islandboy]

Not into processed supplements, but I do eat a lot of fish - cooked, raw - my favorite protein source. Does it help? Hell, I don’t know. It just tastes good.

[El Presidente]

reports on the benefits (or lack thereof)  of fish oil change month to month.

......just like coffee, eggs, red wine, aspirin etal. 

These reports are as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle.

[JoeyGunz]

My knee's and elbow's used to feel dry as a nuns... creaking and all sorts.

I started taking Fish Oil, up to 5g a day and the improvement was massive so I touted it to everyone that would listen.

 

A couple years ago I developed Gout, moved to a plant based diet, never replaced the fish oil tablets once I'd used the pot up and never had another ache or pain again.

[BrightonCorgi]

Use to take fish oil for a long time and have been thinking of starting again (along with vitamins).  Odd timing for this thread!

[benfica_77]

As someone who pushes his body to its limits on a regular basis with weights so nutrition and supplementation is very important to me. I also won't stick into my body anything that there isn't evidence based science to back up its efficacy.  A great website to use is examine.com you can search whatever supplement interests you i.e. fish oil, or creatine etc. and tells you what research has been done, how effective is the claim and how consistent is the results of the research. 

Research has shown to decrease triglycerides, aid in depression, decrease blood pressure. When it comes to inflammation personally i find it helps after a heavy workout i'm stiff as a board the next couple days, i feel it helps with my range of motion but that is anecdotal evidence. 

https://examine.com/supplements/fish-oil/

 

[El Presidente]

Thanks for the link benfica 

[raidercraig]

In only 3 moths I cut my Triglycerides from 400 down to 160, using this brand of omega 3, and lowering my sugar/carb intake. Still have dessert when I wish, and lots of seltzer substituted for soda. I buy this brand on Amazon as my doctor suggested.

[dicko]

I use fish oil for joint pain

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[joeypots]

I don't use supplements. We eat wild salmon and more frequently arctic char. Char is very oily and is great on the grill.

[fabes]

3 hours ago, FatherOfPugs said:

I think overall diet and exercise will have more of an impact.

^^ This right here. 

2 hours ago, joeypots said:

I don't use supplements. We eat wild salmon and more frequently arctic char. Char is very oily and is great on the grill.

I’m inclined to believe it’s in eating the fish that your body best processes the Omega-3 & 6 which leads to a far greater impact than supplements. 

As mentioned previously, the reports constantly flip flop and with so many variables how are we to believe something scientifically works when they are marketed toward emotional appeal?  

We’d all love a quick fix, but I’m in the school of thought that discipline and hard work trumps a bottle of pills. 

[cigcars]

17 hours ago, dicko said:

I use fish oil for joint pain

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 *Ditto. That and in conjunction with Tumeric capsules

[Colt45]

I take between 1200 and 2400 mg daily and definitely found it helped with joints (why I started). As I've found with many of these type of supplements, the effects aren't instantaneous and can take a little time to show results.

Also, I use any supplements supplementally - along with, rather than instead of, whole foods.