The scientists began to doubt the benefits of fish oil and the omega-3 acids it contains. They are considered to be very important for the heart, and many people are taking cod liver oil capsules for the prevention of heart diseases. However, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article that questions undeniable benefits of this food supplement.
The analysis of 20 studies, involving nearly 70,000 people, showed that cod liver oil did not reduce the risk of stroke and other diseases related to the heart.
This is not the first time the efficacy of omega-3 is doubted. Not long ago, Cochrane database of systematic reviews criticized the claim that these fatty acids could inhibit the development of mental illnesses, and the Molecular Psychiatry journal claimed that omega-3 did not help to get rid of depression.
Meanwhile, some experts believe that the problem is not in the fatty acids, but in the fact that our diet has changed, compared to the 1950-s and 1960-s. People have started to increasingly integrate fish into their diet and obtain the necessary amount of omega-3 from it, so the effect of pharmaceutical capsules is less perceptible.
