Fish oil's benefits face new doubts

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Looks like a fish oil pill a day won't keep the doctor away.

Scientists who reviewed data from about 68,000 patients gathered in 20 trials over the past 24 years found that men and women taking fish oil supplements didn't lower their risk for a bevy of ills, including heart attacks, strokes and death.

Guidelines, including those of the American Heart Association, recommend consuming fish-oil supplements, which contain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, to ward off heart trouble.

"We can't confirm omega-3 fatty acids' usefulness," Moses Elisaf from the University of Ioannina in Greece, one of the authors of the study, said in a telephone interview.

The paper, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association yesterday, used a form of research known as a meta-analysis, which evaluates data from previous investigations without new clinical work.

Despite the finding, it's still too early to change these recommendations or to stop taking fish oil, Elisaf said. Trials following a larger number of patients over a longer time may bring clarity on the exact role of omega-3 supplements in heart patients, he said.

The patients involved were largely of European descent and took an average of 1.5 grams (0.05 ounces) of omega-3 supplements a day for a median of two years. The supplements' formulation and amount participant took varied over the trials.

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week. It advises patients with chronic heart disease to consume one gram of omega-3 fatty acids a day, preferably through their diets. Some patients may need to take fish oil supplements to reach that threshold in consultation with their physicians, according to the AHA.

Studies including an Italian one dubbed GISSI have found fish oils to be beneficial.

Humans can't make omega-3 fatty acids from scratch, but need them for healthy brain function as well as growth and development. These acids can be found in fish as well as in foods such as walnuts and flaxseed.

BASF SE, Croda International Plc, Omega Protein Corp. and Royal DSM NV are among the largest suppliers of fish oils.

The study's authors reported that they had no financial conflicts of interest.