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 The study combined data from 112,059 patients who took part in 79
smaller randomized trials. Researchers found that supplementation
with omega-3s had little or no effect on the risk of death, heart
attack or stroke.
Omega 3 supplements did, however, have some benefit in that they
helped to reduce triglyceride levels. But the downside to that was
they also reduced levels of so-called good cholesterol, HDL,
according to the findings published in the Cochrane Library journal.
The results were not especially surprising to the team that
performed the analysis.
"When I look at our findings, what amazes me is how long we have
believed in the effect of omega 3 fats . . . on heart and vascular
health," said senior author Lee Hooper, a dietician and researcher
at the Norwich Medical School of the University of East Anglia in
the UK.
"The trials are very consistent. The highest quality trials
published over several decades consistently show that there is
little or no effect on whether we experience heart disease, stroke
or arrhythmia," she said.
Hooper and her colleagues looked at data from randomized controlled
trials that followed patients from one to six years.
The analysis did find a benefit from consuming canola oil and nuts,
especially in preventing heart arrhythmias. But, Hooper said, the
effects were small. For example, 143 people would need to increase
their intake of canola oil to prevent one person from developing
this heart condition, she said. And 1,000 people would need to
increase their canola oil or nut consumption to prevent one person
from dying from heart disease or having a stroke or heart attack.
Even though the data did not show a benefit from omega-3 supplements
in terms of heart attack and stroke prevention, Hooper isn't ready
to tell everyone to toss their pills.
That's because "omega 3 supplements do reduce triglycerides, and if
people have been prescribed omega 3 - fish oil - capsules by their
doctor, they should continue taking them," she said. "For the rest
of us, taking omega 3 will not protect our hearts."
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Because the studies combined in meta-analyses tend to be
heterogeneous, the findings aren't as strong as a single large study
would be, said Dr. Zhaoping Li, a professor of medicine and director
of the Center for Human Nutrition at the David Geffen School of
Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, who wasn't
involved in the study.
Beyond that, Li said, the studies are relatively short and it would
therefore be hard to see a difference in endpoints such as heart
attack, stroke and death. "I think the jury is still out in terms of
long term benefits," Li said.
Moreover, "you can have people consuming vastly different diets in
the studies, " Li noted, and that's important because supplements
are more likely to have an impact in people who are getting little
omega-3 in their diets.
In the end, the study "does not change my practice," Li said.
Dr. Michael Blaha, who also wasn't involved in the analysis, said it
simply confirms his previous opinions about omega-3 supplements.
"I'm not too surprised by the results," said Blaha, director of
clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the
Prevention of Heart Disease in Baltimore, Maryland. "We've seen a
trend towards negative outcomes in studies of these supplements. And
overall, there's not a lot of reason to be supplementing a healthy
diet with over-the-counter products."
It's not that omega-3s aren't important, Blaha said. "But the public
health recommendation has to be to get them through foods rather
than dietary supplements," he said.
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2LjmR9v The Cochrane Library, online July 18,
2018.
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