Many individuals take fish oil supplements considering they’re good for heart health. But can they assist? A latest study says although most labels that sell the supplements claim heart health advantages, they lack scientific evidence to prove the efficacy.

Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center examined greater than 2,800 fish oil supplements sold out there. They found that the degrees of two crucial components of fish oil supplements – eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) – vary between products.

The study evaluated two sorts of claims made in reference to heart health: Qualified health claims and structure/function claims.

Qualified health claims are advantages in reference to the treatment or prevention of the disease. They’re made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after an evidence review. The structure/function claims, because the name suggests, are intended for the structural or functional advantage of an organ and shouldn’t have any role within the prevention, treatment or cure of any disease.

The research team found that 73.9 % of the complement labels made at the very least one health claim – most of them (80.8%) made structure/function claims, while 19.2% used an FDA-qualified claim.

Researchers said there is barely limited evidence to prove the efficacy of fish oil supplements. One in five people over age 60 take fish oil supplements for heart health.

“Multiple randomized clinical trials have shown no cardiovascular profit to fish oil supplements,” researchers observed.

“We all know from recent large, randomized trials that fish oil supplements don’t prevent heart disease in the final population, but yet they’re one of the common supplements taken, often by individuals who still consider they are going to profit their heart,” lead creator Joanna Assadourian said.

To say structure/function claim, fish oil supplements often use labels like “promotes heart health,” and “supports heart, mind, and mood,” which might create confusion and provides misleading information to consumers.

“As a preventive cardiologist, I tell my patients that in the event that they are taking fish oil to attempt to avoid heart disease then they will stop taking it because it is not helping them,” co-author Dr. Ann Marie Navar said. Navar as an alternative suggests including fresh vegetables within the eating regimen, regular exercise and medicine to treat blood pressure and cholesterol.

Researchers also observed that buyers should seek the advice of with a physician to know the advantages reasonably than blindly following the labels of supplements.

“Significant heterogeneity exists within the every day dose of EPA+DHA in available supplements, resulting in potential variability in safety and efficacy between supplements. Increasing regulation of dietary complement labeling could also be needed to stop consumer misinformation,” the team said.

Published by Medicaldaily.com