United States: Fish oil continues to draw sustained research interest in wellness science because scientific information about it differs extensively.
Amelia Sherry, clinical nutrition coordinator at the Mount Sinai Hospital noted, “People perceive fish oil to be a wonder supplement.”
The leading substance in fish oil supplements consists of omega-3 fatty acids because humans cannot produce them on their own.
These play an important role in cardiovascular health, brain function, eyesight, and immune systems.
Scientific groups promote fish oil supplements because they showcase potential benefits against heart attacks and inflammation prevention, as well as cognitive support and skin treatment.
Fish oil supplement production has experienced massive growth in the market. Fish oil supplements have emerged as the leading nutritional supplements in the United States and the United Kingdom, with an estimated total worth of USD 3.1 billion within the global fish oil market.
Behind the Hype: What Research Shows
However, the scientific data from the 2018 meta-analysis found that taking fish oil supplements “does not benefit heart health or reduce our risk of stroke or death by any cause.”
Research from last year discovered that fish oil supplementation raises heart difficulties and stroke potential among people with no history of heart diseases.
What’s Really in the Bottle?
Fish oil supplements contain so much rancidity that many companies cannot meet safety standards.
Doctors extract fish oil supplements from fatty fish varieties, which include mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines, and anchovies.
Fish oil provides consumers with two essential omega-3 fatty acids consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
“Aside from fish, seaweed and algae are the only other sources of these two types of omega-3s,” as Sherry noted.
Customers find fish oil supplements mainly available in soft gel capsule form. The item content of each supplement supplementing EPA and DHA amounts per pill differs among available products. Dr. Stephen Kopecky, who practices cardiology at the Mayo Clinic, states that the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate dietary supplements in the United States. (Supplements are regulated in the UK.)
“You’ve got to turn the bottle around to look at the ingredient label,” as per Kopecky. Companies, he warns, “can change their labels week to week.”