What is the truth about omega 3 fish oil?

If you watched the ABC evening news yesterday you would have seen a report they did on omega 3 fish oil and a study which they claimed showed no benefits of fish oil. They reported that this study, which was a meta analyses of several studies, did not show any cardiovascular benefits from taking omega 3 fish oil. What they did not report was that this study had several flaws and the numerous studies published showing multiple benefits of omega 3 fish oil. ABC news is apparently not a reliable source of news, but rather an example of inferior reporting not to be trusted. If you search PubMed for omega 3 fish oil you will find a vast amount of research showing multiple benefits of omega 3 fish oil, including reduction of inflammation and pain, cardiovascular benefits and improved mood. The research reviewed here is an example of one of these very recent studies which documented just the opposite results of what the study ABC reported on showed. Most of the studies they analyzed included persons with high cardiovascular risk (Delgado-Lista J, et al. 2012). The researchers concluded that marine omega-3 fatty acids are effective in preventing cardiovascular events, cardiac death and coronary events, especially in persons with high cardiovascular risk. To read more about the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids click here.

Delgado-Lista J, Perez-Martinez P, Lopez-Miranda J, Perez-Jimenez F. Long chain omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review. Br J Nutr. 2012 Jun;107 Suppl 2:S201-13.