Fish Oil Supplement Use Tied to Varied Heart Health Outcomes

Healthcare professionals suggest fish oil supplements to people to prevent cardiovascular diseases as they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. But according to a recent study, the regular use of fish oil supplements can increase the risk of first-time heart disease and stroke in people with good cardiovascular disease. But it can reduce the risk of death as it slows disease progression for those with existing heart problems.  

This research was published in BMJ Medicine and was conducted to understand the protective benefits of fish oil as it was not clear previously. In this study, researchers used the data of 415737 people who participated in the UK biobank study. These participants were aged between 40 and 69. They were asked about their diet and intake of fish oil supplements during 2006 and 2010. Almost 130365 people regularly ued fish oil supplements. These people were older and used to consuming more alcohol. They also had a higher ratio of oily fish in their diet.  

When researchers tracked them for 12 years and observed the collected data, they found that 18367 people had developed atrial fibrillation, 22,636 had a heart attack, heart failure or stroke and 22,140 patients died. On the other hand, only 14,902 people did not experience any serious heart issues and had good cardiovascular health.  

In this study, researchers also found the effects of fish oil supplements were different based on the participants’ cardiovascular heath at the beginning of the study. The risk of developing atrial fibrillation and stroke was 13% and 5% higher respectively for those who did not have any heart disease. But the risk of developing atrial fibrillation and heart failure was lower for those who had cardiovascular disease as it was 15% and 9% respectively.  

Researchers of this study think that these results cannot prove that fish oil supplements cause these effects as this was an observational study. But they conclude that regular use of fish oil supplements can affect cardiovascular disease progression, So, healthcare professionals should make some effective strategies to reduce this risk.  

Reference Link: 

Regular use of fish oil supplements and course of cardiovascular diseases: prospective cohort study, BMJ Medicine (2024).  

DOI: 10.1136/bmjmed-2022-000451