183
Critics have raised questions about some of the newer studies, saying they were not large enough to detect
benefits, didn’t last long enough or used omega-3 doses that were too low. Others have criticized how the studies
included in the meta-analyses were selected. Had certain other studies been included, the critics say, the overall
results would have been more positive. Still, benefits that are so hard to spot are likely to be quite small.
Bottom line: The proposed cardiovascular benefits of fish oil supplements now seem uncertain. Some major
studies are underway and may help clarify matters. In any case, your best bet is to get your omega-3s from two or
three servings of fatty fish a week. The AHA continues to advise people with heart disease or high triglycerides to
consider taking the supplements, after consulting their doctors. That’s still good advice if you don’t eat fish,
especially since some of the other proposed benefits of omega-3s may still pan out. The supplements have few, if
any, serious adverse effects—unless, that is, they lead you to think you can eat an unhealthy diet or can avoid
taking the statins or other drugs you may need.
The most salient point may be that in the studies from recent years, far more participants at elevated
cardiovascular risk were taking “state-of-the-art” medication, such as statins and blood pressure drugs, compared
to early studies. That helps explain the apparent lack of effect of the supplements. Even if omega-3s provide
benefits, these would be hard to detect against the backdrop of the much larger benefits of these drugs. That
could also make the supplements all the more unnecessary. (The same thing is seen in studies of low-dose aspirin,
the benefits of which appear much smaller than previously estimated, now that so many high-risk people are
taking statins.)”
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/supplements/other-supplements/article/omega- 3 - supplements-
question?ap=603
(^26) Hibbeln, J.R., “Long-chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Depression and Related Conditions.” In: Phospholipid
Spectrum Disorder in Psychiatry, Peet, M., Glen ,I., & Horrobin, D.F. (eds.) (Marius Press, Lancashire, UK 2000), at
195 - 210
(^27) Muskin, P.R., Gerbarg, P.L., and Brown, R.P., Brown et al. II, op. cit. at 18.
(^28) Birch, E.E., Garfield, S., Hoffman, D.R., Uauy, R. & Birch, D.G., “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Early Dietary
Supply of Long-chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Mental Development in Term Infants,” Developmental
Medicine and Child Neurology 42(3):174- 81 (2000).
(^29) Mahadik, S.P., Mukherjee, S., “Free Radical Pathology and Antioxidant Defense in Schizophrenia: A Review,”
Schizophrenia Research 19:1-17 (1996); Mahadik, S.P. et al., “Elevated Plasma Lipid Peroxides at the Onset of
Nonaffective Psychosis” Biological Psychiatry 43:674:679 (1998).
(^30) Laugharne, J.O., et al., “Fatty Acids and Schizophrenia” Lipids 31 (Supp):S163-S165 (1996).
(^31) Lake and Spiegel, Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Mental Health Care, op. cit., at 159.
(^32) Freeman, M.R., Hibbeln, J.R., Mischoulon, D., et al. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Evidence for Treatment and Future
Research in Psychiatry” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 67:12 (2006).
(^33) Muskin, P.R., Gerbarg, P.L., and Brown, R.P., Brown et al. II, op. cit. at 19-20.
(^34) Hallahan, B., Hibbeln, J.R., Davis, J.M. & Garland, M.R., “Fatty Acid Supplementation in Patients with Recurrent
Self- harm” British Journal of Psychiatry 190:118 – 122 (2007).
(^35) Brown et al., op. cit., at 145-146.