fish oils

[Guest guest]

Now, I don't always buy into these research studies so this is just for your

information. I was hearing on GMA about vitamins and the impact or lack

thereof and their " good " doctor (and I use " good " advisedly) was

recommending that we just take a good multi-vitamin. That was due to the

fact that many vitamins at the dosages that some of us take (me too) appear

to be having a negative impact on our overall health. He even made some

comments about Linus Pauling (my favorite) and his recommendations about Vit

C, E, A saying that some of the research disputed it...which they always

have....but saying that the E and A can cause problems. For myself I think

food seems to be our best option, but the nutrition in them is being

degraded by the use of all of the chemicals, GMO'd foods, the way it is

processed and the degradation of the soils. So, eating organic and thus

supporting organic farmers is going to bring the prices of those foods down

which is already occurring. I was talking to the manager of one of our

stores and he said that they have seen a 40% increase in the purchase of

organic foods in the past 1-2 years. In the full article it mentions the

possibility of the mercury found in fish is also affecting the results of

the tests. Either way, buyer beware.

linda

 

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article353286.ece

 

No evidence oily fish have health benefits, study finds

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

Published: 24 March 2006

 

For at least 20 years doctors have been urging their patients to eat more

oily fish to benefit the heart. Adding two servings a week of mackerel,

salmon and similar fish to the family shopping list was believed to help

fend off cardiovascular disease.

 

Now a major new study suggests the advice was wrong. Scientists who reviewed

no fewer than 89 studies of omega 3 fats, the key constituent of fish oils

thought to protect against heart disease, found no clear evidence that they

are of any use at all.

 

Researchers from the University of East Anglia and eight other institutions

say that when the results were pooled they showed no strong evidence that

omega 3 fats had an effect on overall deaths, heart disease, stroke or

cancer.

 

The finding, if confirmed, will place fish oils at the top of the list of

medical shibboleths that turned out to be myths. Among them are claims that

fibre can prevent bowel cancer, vitamin C can halt colds, spinal

manipulation can cure back pain, tranquillisers can cure anxiety and

removing tonsils can prevent throat infections.

 

All have held sway, in some cases for decades, leading patients to treat

themselves or seek treatment that turned out to be worthless.

 

Sales of fish oil capsules have soared on the back of the advice - for the

millions who find oily fish unpalatable. Eggs high in omega 3 fats and

margarine enriched with them have appeared on the market in recent years, in

response to consumer demand.

 

The health value of these products is now in doubt. Yesterday the British

Heart Foundation responded to the unexpected result by calling for more

research. The Health Supplements Information Service, representing

manufacturers of fish oil capsules, suggested omega 3 fats might affect

different people differently. Only further studies could supply the answer,

it said.

 

For their review of omega 3 research, the scientists from the University of

East Anglia selected studies that involved a treatment group and a control

group, and had investigated the effect of consuming extra omega 3 fats on

health for at least six months. Differences in the quality of the studies

were taken into account to minimise bias. In 48 of the trials, the omega 3

fats were taken in the form of dietary supplements such as capsules.

 

Until three years ago, cumulative evidence showed a benefit from omega 3

fats, but a major study called the DART-2 trial published in 2003 changed

the overall picture. It included more than 3,000 men and showed a higher

heart death rate in those taking fish oil capsules.

 

Many consumers take fish oil capsules, which are enriched with vitamins A, D

and E, for their joints, skin and hair, but the study did not examine their

effect on these.

 

The potential of omega 3 fats taken as supplements for preventing memory

loss and dementia in elderly people is currently being tested, with results

due in 2008.

 

In addition to oily fish, which contain long chain omega 3 fats, shorter

chain omega 3 fats found in some plant oils are also thought to be good for

health. But the review found no effect of either kind.

 

The findings, by researchers from the School of Medicine at the University

of East Anglia, are published in the online edition of the British Medical

Journal today.

[Guest guest]

From what I understand omega-3 fatty acids have rather weak bonds

and will break down if heated. So if they used fish as the omega 3

source that could be the reason the studies reviewed in this meta-

analysis failed to find any effect. To get a good veggie source of

omega-3s you can eat raw flax seed meal, walnuts, pumpkin seeds,

hemp seeds etc.

 

Dave

 

 

, " linda " <lindai81

wrote:

>

> Now, I don't always buy into these research studies so this is

just for your information. >

> http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article353286.ece

>

>

> No evidence oily fish have health benefits, study finds

> By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

> Published: 24 March 2006