Omega 3 supplements

Author
Discussion

The Gauge

Original Poster:

2,219 posts

15 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
Are Omega 3 supplements worth taking, as info I've read online suggests there's no conclusive benefits?

Following blood tests I need to eat more oily fish and increase my intake of Omega 3. Whilst I can eat salmon & tuna I don't otherwise like fish so I'm thinking of also taking supplements to ensure I get the correct weekly intake. I understand they should contain about 450g of DHA & EPA per day which equates to 2 x portions of fish per week.

So are Omega 3 supplements actually worth taking?

oddman

2,411 posts

254 months

Tuesday 14th May
quotequote all
My reading of the evidence in Tim Spector's book Food fo Life is that the supplements confer no benefit and that it is a diet containing fatty fish that is associated with health benefits.

If you think about it, populations that eat significant quantities of oily fish tend to have diets that are also rich in plants and other healthy oils eg Mediterranean.

Generally speaking, unless you have a deficiency that needs correcting, you can't short cut nature by isolating a hypothesised healthy molecule from the food source.

Sardines and mackerel are pretty good sources, more sustainable and further down the food chain so less likely to accumulate mercury than tuna. I'd be surprised if farmed salmon is healthy at all. It's certainly not sustainable, being fed on either soya or crushed up fish dredged up from the deep ocean.

WyrleyD

1,935 posts

150 months

Tuesday 14th May
quotequote all
There was a study in The American Journal of Clinical Medicine some time ago that stated that Fruitflow by Provexis did have beneficial effects on platelets

https://www.fruitflowplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2...

popeyewhite

20,213 posts

122 months

Tuesday 14th May
quotequote all
Some studies show fish oil supplements work, some don't. None show a negative effect. If you can't get real fish (there are specific fish you should eat) then I think supplements would be an acceptable alternative.

The Gauge

Original Poster:

2,219 posts

15 months

Tuesday 14th May
quotequote all
WyrleyD said:
There was a study in The American Journal of Clinical Medicine some time ago that stated that Fruitflow by Provexis did have beneficial effects on platelets

https://www.fruitflowplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2...
Interesting. Years ago I bought shares in provexis on the news and much hype they had created a tomato based health drink that would assist the elderly and replace the nutritional drinks they might take. Needless to say my 15p shares then binned to less than 1p, and over the years I’ve forgotten about them. Time to check their share price.

popeyewhite

20,213 posts

122 months

Tuesday 14th May
quotequote all
oddman said:
that it is a diet containing oilyfatty fish that is associated with health benefits.