What did the research claim to find about Omega 3 and Heart Health?
The research, Regular use of fish oil supplements and course of cardiovascular diseases: prospective cohort study, was published in BMJ Medicine.
The Chinese team analysed the data from questionnaire answers provided by around 400,000 people in the UK.
Contradictory study results
The study makes the following claims about people who said that they took “some kind of” fish oil supplements over the course of 11 years:
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People who said they didn’t have cardiovascular disease at the start of the survey |
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People who said they did have a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation disease at the start of the survey |
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People with heart failure at the start of the survey were 9% less likely to die. |
So, in a nutshell, the data analysis found that if you don’t have a heart condition then fish oil supplements make you more likely to get one. But on the other hand, if you do have a heart condition, fish oil supplements make it less likely to get worse.
Is the Omega 3 study reliable?
The data analysis reported on by The Guardian, GB news and some other outlets is alarmist, without proven clinical science behind the claims. The study does not in any way prove that it’s unsafe to take Omega 3 supplements. Below, we explain why.
The data analysis found contradictory results
The results of the survey claim that Omega 3 is beneficial for heart health in people who already have a heart condition, but may be harmful to heart health for people who don’t have a heart condition. This is clearly illogical and a sign of some error in the way the questions were asked or the data was interpreted. Too many variables were left out. The researchers do not even attempt to suggest any logical explanation for this nonsensical result.
It was just a public questionnaire
The study was a “cohort study”. This means researchers analysed data from a large number of people, using questionnaires. In the pyramid of how reliable medical research is considered, this type of study comes at the very bottom. This means we cannot consider the survey data to be particularly reliable, and it may explain why the survey results appear to have internal contradictions.
The participants were selected based on the fact they have voluntarily enrolled in the British Biobank study, an organisation to help researchers gather data from public questionnaires. The selection of people was not representationally balanced across ages, races, sex or other demographic factors.
There were no medical checks by researchers
Cohort studies usually verify participants’ statements by looking at patients’ medical notes, for example. The researchers did not use any medical exams to verify whether participants really had healthy hearts at the start of the study or if they in fact already had atrial fibrillation or other heart diseases. These conditions are notorious for being undiagnosed for years before they are found, often by chance.
What dose or type of Omega 3 were people taking?
What’s more, the research didn’t use any particular brand, type or dosage of Omega 3 oil. The questionnaire simply asked participants if they took “any kind of” fish oil supplements. We don’t know if they really did take Omega 3 supplements regularly. We certainly don’t know if they kept taking the supplements regularly throughout the 11 years of the research monitoring.
Above all, we have no idea if they were taking one of the many low-quality fish oil supplements sold in the UK which are already rancid in the shop. Rancid oil is well-known to be harmful to heart health.
The study doesn’t consider other medical factors
The survey did not consider what other supplements participants took, what prescription medications they took, or what other medical conditions they may have had. Most other factors that could have influenced the results were ignored.
What does other research say about the benefits and safety of Omega 3 supplements?
Mild benefits from omega 3 for heart health
A large number of previous studies into Omega 3 have been conducted as proper research, using measured doses of Omega 3 supplements, and making sure other variables didn’t alter the results. They found mildly positive results for heart health. There was very little clear evidence that supplements containing the omega-3s EPA and DHA lowered the risk of a heart attack, stroke or dying from heart disease. On the other hand, there was no evidence that they caused harm and some studies found mild benefits.
Very well-proven omega 3 benefits for the brain and dementia
The main reason to take Omega 3 fish oil is that studies have found high levels of omega-3s are associated with lower risks of dementia – Research from 2022 found that among older adults, taking regular fish oil supplements was strongly associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia. Although it did not make a difference in Alzheimer’s disease, it definitely did in vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and other dementia.
Omega 3 may reduce inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmunity
One study suggests that taking oily fish could help reduce inflammation and pain for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and the autoimmune disease lupus.
Conclusion: Omega 3 supplements are safe and beneficial
In conclusion, there is absolutely no reason to worry about heart health and it is perfectly safe to continue taking Omega 3 fish oil supplements. Choosing good quality Omega 3 fish oil supplements, that won’t have rancid oil inside, it essential.
- Buy from a respected company with high customer review ratings.
- Always double-check by biting open the first capsule to taste the oil inside.
- Store your capsules in a cool place – possibly the fridge.
- Close the lid tightly every time to protect the oil from harmful oxygen. Buy gels in a strong jar not a thin pouch, because pouches are too thin to stop oxygen getting through.
