A new study has declared that increasing long-chain omega 3 provides little if any benefit on most outcomes. It was also inferred that consuming more long-chain 3 fats makes little or no difference to cardiovascular risks, coronary heart disease events, risks of strokes or even heart irregularities.
Omega-3 includes ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA docosahexaenoic acid). ALA which is found in vegetable oils and seeds and nuts, cannot be made by the body. EPA and DHA that can be made by the body from ALA are present in fish oils, oily fish including cod liver oil.
Dr. Lee Hooper said, “We can be confident in the findings of this review which go against the popular belief that long-chain omega 3 supplements protect the heart. This large systematic review included information from many thousands of people over long periods. Despite all this information, we don’t see protective effects.”
The doctor added, “The review provides good evidence that taking long-chain omega 3 a supplement does not benefit heart health or reduce our risk of stroke or death from any cause. The most trustworthy studies consistently showed little or no effect of long-chain omega 3 fats on cardiovascular health. On the other hand, while oily fish is a healthy food, it is unclear from the small number of trials whether eating more oily fish is protective of our hearts.”
