Omega 3 Supplementation; Good or Bad?
Recent fairly large scale, long term studies done in the UK and Scandinavia have raised some questions about high dose Omega-3 supplementation. Talking about the recent report in the British Medical Journal on the regular use of omega-3 fish oil supplements and the course of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In trials testing > 1 g/d of marine omega-3 fatty acids, there was close to a 50% overall increase in risk for Atrial Fibrulation. In studies testing lower doses, there was only a very modest 12% increase. So it seems that lower Omega-3 intake was “better”. But the study does not talk about other lifestyle factors like smoking, living in a large city where air quality is poor on a regular basis as compared to a rural air with high winds and better atmospheric turnover. Or other dietary issues like sugar and bread intake. All these factors play a huge role in cardiovascular disease and Omega-3 consumption is not a magic cure or “free pass” to over eat sugar. So the question may be more related to comparing Lifestyles than seeing if a specific supplement reduces risk, treating it like it is a drug.
And as there are studies that may show an issue with Omega-3 there are studies that show benefits! The one recent exception to this finding is the REDUCE-IT trial testing high-dose eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (4 g/day of icosapent ethyl), and there was a 25%-30% reduction in both cardiovascular events and stroke. Now this study did also have it’s parameter issues and was critisized for them, mainly that they used a mineral oil product as the placebo which can bother the gut.
The take away from this “new medical” science is that good health is a lifestyle and Omeg-3s are just one piece of that lifestyle puzzle and will act differently in different genetic populations or individuals. I will continue to take my Omeg-3s jst to be safe as a Holistic Doctor with over 40 years of exerience. I recommend that you keep takig your omegas as well for their their anti-inflammatory effects, their brain support effects and their cardiovascular support and the 100 “other things” that modern science has yet to discover that they do.
Dr. Demetrios Kydonieus, Chirorpactic Nutritionist since 1988