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.

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.