Can fish oil stave off heart disease?
Ask the doctor
A large (nearly 13,000 people) randomized trial, based here at Harvard Medical School, tested the cardiovascular benefits of one particular formulation of fish oil supplements (which contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids). "Cardiovascular benefits" included lower rates of any diseases that result from atherosclerosis, primarily of the arteries of the heart or brain. After following people for an average of more than five years, there was no clear benefit in the total of all cardiovascular problems. The people receiving fish oil did have lower rates of some types of heart problems, but these results were not as statistically strong as those for the total of all cardiovascular problems. Because this was the largest study of its kind, many doctors who once recommended fish oil supplements to protect against heart disease are no longer doing so.
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