The vast majority of supplements out there don’t do anything for you, but for every 5 that do nothing, there’s 1 that is incredible!* Today, we’ll be talking about one in particular that was part of a new “study,” a potentially harmful study that is being taken much more seriously than it should be.
Fish Oil. Fish Oil supplementation is a cheap, easy way to supplement your diet with healthy Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Taken in dosages between 1 and 4 gels a day, fish oil is an anti-inflammatory that has a wide range of potential benefits, including:
- Potentially reducing blood pressure in those suffering from hypertension.
- Potentially protecting against Parkinson’s Disease
- Helps the prevent the brain from cognitive problems associated with Alzheimer’s.
- It can slow the growth of tumors in cases of prostate cancer
- May reduce depression
- Can decrease severe symptoms of psoriasis
- Can aid in weight loss
- And much more! (Seriously, this list could go on forever.)
As you can see, there’s a lot of benefits to supplementing with fish oil. Now, recently, there was a study that allegedly linked fish oil supplement intake with the development of prostate tumors. I’ve seen quite a few people in my news feed asking for the opinions of others, and whether or not they should stop taking the supplement. For the first time in a while, I watched as a scientific study set off a sort of firestorm, but in reality, this is nothing to worry about, and when it comes down to it, the study seems seriously flawed.
There’s a fantastic article here that went through and thoroughly debunked the study, but here’s a short summary of why you should pay no attention to it:
- Time is not a factor at all in this study, which is important because many prostate cancer patients may begin supplementing after an initial diagnosis because of the “Cancer Protecting” properties of fish oil. Also, time is a major factor because of the method of determining circulating Omega-3s and Omega-6s.
- They drew these conclusions from a pre-existing study known as the “SELECT Trials.”
- Fish oil has been proven to decrease mortality in individuals with prostate cancer, a fact that is not referenced in the study.
- Here’s a fantastic tidbit from another article about the study: “Due to the nature of the study, it was not possible to tell for certain whether the elevated blood levels were due to men taking supplements or eating fish rich in omega-3s.”
As is the case with most things, and with most studies, more research is always welcome, but at this time, it’s a good idea to politely disregard this study. Don’t stop with the fish oil!
*As far as statistics go, I made that up. Sounds about right to me, though.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/993.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_oil
http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223%2804%2900706-1/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1199531/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20844069
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/07/09/jnci.djt174.abstract
http://sharedresources.fhcrc.org/publications/papers/diet-supplement-use-and-prostate-cancer-risk-results-prostate-cancer-prevention-
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/evidence-prostate-cancer-omega-3-link-article-1.1395853
http://examine.com/blog/fish-oil-and-your-prostate/