“Fish Oil Heart Claims Debunked”
In recent times, nothing has been more aggressively marketed than fish oil (omega-3 polyunsaturated fats), with glowing claims which sound nearly miraculous. Advertisements and endless promotions by Dr. Oz and Dr. Andrew Weil have convinced many people that fish oil will protect them for nearly all forms of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, all forms of dementia, ADD, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, obsessive compulsive disorder, headaches and migraines. Yet, study after study have failed to support these unsubstantiated claims. Still, sales of fish oils go through the economic roof. The Nutrition Business Journal showed Americans spent $1.1 billion on fish oil supplements in 2011. A 2012 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association presented data showing fish oil supplements weren’t linked with a lower risk of death from all causes, cardiac deaths or sudden deaths, nor were they associated with reduced odds of having a stroke or heart attack.
