Fishy health claims for fish oil supplements

For some people, fish oil supplements evoke childhood memories of a regular spoonful of gag-inducing cod liver oil.

A source of vitamins A and D, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, such supplements are the dietary version of a necessary evil for people who do not or cannot eat much fish.

Staple catches, such as cod and tuna, have been deemed in some regions to be over-fished, while wider fish prices have been caught up in the post-2020 consumer and food inflation net.

So it’s probably no surprise that around one in five over-60s in the United States are estimated to be taking regular doses of these translucent pea-sized capsules.

But it appears that most brands claim the supplements provide health benefits despite a lack of proof.

Research published by the American Medical Association claims that “the majority of fish oil supplement labels make health claims […] that imply a health benefit across a variety of organ systems despite a lack of trial data showing efficacy”.

The researchers, led by Associate Professor Dr Ann Marie Navar of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the US, looked at almost 2,900 different supplements.

They found that while 73.9% made at least one health claim, fewer than one in five used a “qualified health claim” approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The rest stuck to vaguer claims, such as “promotes heart health”.

The researchers pointed to “potential variability in safety and efficacy between supplements” and advised that “increasing regulation of dietary supplement labelling may be needed to prevent consumer misinformation”. – dpa

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