Posted on 03/24/2006 4:21:27 AM PST by MadIvan
Claims that oily fish is good for people's health are not backed by strong evidence, experts have said.
Researchers studied the effects of omega 3 fats on death rates, heart disease and cancer and found there was no evidence of a "clear benefit" of omega 3 fats on health.
In a study published in the British Medical Journal, scientists were keen to point out that the importance of omega 3's should not be ruled out. But they warned that the evidence about potential benefits should be regularly reviewed.
Omega 3 fats are found in oily fish such as mackerel and fresh tuna, supplements and some plant oils. They have been widely regarded as beneficial for health, with health experts recommending that people eat more of them.
In the BMJ report, researchers analysed 89 studies to assess the effects of omega 3 fats on different outcomes for health.
Pooling the results showed no strong evidence that omega 3's had an effect on total deaths, heart attacks, heart disease, cancer or strokes.
The researchers concluded that it is actually unclear whether omega 3's reduce or increase total death rates, heart attacks and disease, cancer, or strokes.
In an accompanying BMJ editorial, Eric Brunner, said: "Health recommendations advise increased consumption of oily fish and fish oils, within limits, on the grounds that intake is generally low.
"However, industrial fishing has depleted the world's fish stocks by some 90% since 1950, and rising fish prices reduce affordability particularly for people with low incomes."
Other studies have found that omega 3's have a positive effect on health. Earlier this week, a study found that the fats helped stop the spread of prostate cancer to other parts of the body.
He said gambling was the quickest way, women was the most pleasureable and believing experts was the most certain.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
I guess I will keep eating fish until we get a study telling us it's bad for us. At least it's low calorie.
Any word on the possible bad effects of too much Omega 6 and 9? This study is incomplete if it ignores that interrelationship.
Oily Mackerel, Batman, what will they think of next?
Snake oil is still good, right?
(I've been sold a lot of that over the years.)
Anyone see what this "study" is really about?
BTW, fish oil DOES lower cholesterol - proven. If they are correct in saying that lower cholesterol is better, then it follows that fish oil is benificial.
"However, industrial fishing has depleted the world's fish stocks by some 90% since 1950, and rising fish prices reduce affordability particularly for people with low incomes."
This smells like more agenda driven garbage from the "Save the Krill" leftists.
and plasma triglyceride levels.
i like my fish grilled not oily
LOL, just stay away from Swordfish, Shark and Tuna...aren't they the ones with the high mercury level?
I've beend reading lately about some studies where the setup ended up messing it up.
For instance, there was a double blind study on the benefits of calcium for older women. The women were told to maintain their regular diets, etc. Some got calcium supplements, some got placebo.
No significant improvements were found. Actually, there were minor improvements.
But they found out after the study was done that many(more than half) of the women who were in the control group were taking, as part of their normal diet and regimen, some supplemental calcium.
Population statistics would seem to contradict these conclusions about fish oil, but maybe those folks who eat alot of fish live longer because they DON'T eat Big Macs!
So who knows? They'll figure it out.
Yep. And Flax seed oil is very high in omega 3 oils and has also been proven to lower cholesterol.
Again, this so called study's agenda is transparent. Science has really been turned into a cheap whore by the left.
They are not. Heart disease does not correlate to cholesterol levels. It was all a scam to sell statin drugs.
For what it's worth, I started taking marine oil capsules (Rescue brand)last year, every day. My cholesterol went from 265 down to 178. My doctor is stunned, he was going to put me on medication prior to that. Also,my ratio of good vs bad cholesterol is such that I am actually in reversal, which means my arteries are being cleaned out.
Expensive, but worth it.
I will agree that it is much less a factor that has been claimed.
But the point in my wording was that IF this study was really interested in health benifits, and IF they really believed what they say regarding cholesterol, then they would not have arrived at these conclusions. They contradict themselves.
Okay. Send some over.
'La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.' - Auguste Escoffier
(Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Take both
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