came across this article today and would like to know your thoughts:
i was swayed by flashy advertising in the late 1990s featuring medical stars like Professor Lord Winston, who convinced me that omega-3 fish oil supplements were essential for my brain and my heart.
Fast forward to today, and roughly one in five people in the UK and one in 10 Americans still regularly take omega-3 supplements, collectively spending billions in the hope of enhancing their intelligence and longevity.
But a recent investigation by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the BfR, raises concerns. The authors concluded that taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation in people with pre-existing heart disease or those who are at higher risk.
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Padayn01
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I can't believe that 1 in5 Brits take Omega 3 supplements. I can't think of anyone in my circle of friends ( more than 5 😀) who take it . Maybe I associate with an odd lot.....
People who follow a vegan diet are advised to supplement with omega-3 from algal sources because the only other sources of omega-3 in a vegan diet is in the form of ALA, and doesn’t convert very efficiently to DHA and EPA which are found in oily fish.
Maybe it's me, but I can't see a link to the article? I would be really interested to see the size of the study and how big a dose is involved. Personally I don't take a supplement but I try and cook with high omega 3 oils and eat oily fish.
As with many studies, a nutrient in supplement form does not have the same benefits of the whole food, so carry on eating your oily fish by all means. If you eat oily fish, and additionally have some plant sources of omega-3 you don’t need to even consider taking a supplement.
I take a D3 supplement because my levels went a bit low, It’s standard advice in the UK and Ireland that everyone should supplement from October to April.
The current consensus is that eating oily fish and to some extent plant sources of omega-3 such as walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseeds are protective whereas taking fish oil supplements are not. Supplements aren’t food, nor are they medicine. There have been many studies in the past 30 years that have consistently shown that supplements do not have any of the health benefits of the whole food, and in some cases may be harmful, for example, the vitamin A trials that increased the risk of cancer in smokers which had to be halted prematurely. I can remember health food shops selling supplements of “antioxidant” vitamins specifically for smokers in the early 1990s before these trials highlighted the risks. I don’t consider supplements benign nor do I consider them necessary except where there is a proven deficiency.
Yes supplements are a lottery. I take Krill oil and because I have had no problems for peace of mind I am locked into continuing to take it with no real proof of efficacy. Can you post the article you refer to as I can't see it.
That's all very interesting. We are also now learning that milk fat, and other saturated fats are likely good for our cardiovascular health. Who would have believed the science could be so wrong?
I have never listened to the popular type nutritionists who make it onto the mass media as I think they are too easily swayed by vogue ideas and are not true scientists.
What it seems might have been the cause of many ills was the massive use by the food industry of hydrogenated fats post war and until quite recently. I think there is evidence that these caused the disastrous rise in cardiovascular diseases of that period. They might yet be shown to have been a mass poison.
Yes. I have read articles about this too. The food industry magnates knew about it long before we did. Criminal. Same with processed foods - high salt and sugar content- which are still ubiquitous. Sadly often priced to target lower income purchasers.
It might yet prove to be so that high sugar intake proves to be dangerous in the long term, but I'm not so sure about salt. The evidence isn't especially clear and it reminds me of the saturated fat warnings years back. I have a suspicion that hydrogenated fats just might yet be shown to be a truly mass poison - much like lead in petrol and, quite likely, as carbon particles from diesel emissions will be proven to be.
Yes, re salt, there are definitely doctors who have done the research and claim that it is the type of salt, not salt itself, that causes issues. (& I think of the saline or Ringer's Lactate we get at any visit to hospital--obviously considered essential). Naturally occurring salt like RealSalt (to name one brand) from the ancient underground seabeds in Utah have 65+ naturally occurring minerals-- that get stripped and bleached out of processed table salt. Table salt also has sugar (as dextrose) added to it. I've been using RealSalt for 12 years and it sure tastes better! (I do have low blood pressure, & my salt intake doesn't seem to affect it.)
There's no dextrose added to salt in the UK but I do take your point. People with low blood pressure are advised to increase salt so that does require some kind of explanation if salt is so dangerous.
The difficulty for me is looking at chronic disease itself given the large number of confounding aspects that must cloud any attempt at pointing the finger.
I have a suspicion that many of these diseases are genetic and that substances such as tobacco smoke, sugar, salt and such like act a little like catalysts for the gene or something akin to that. It must be a complex relationship between the substance and the long term effect, that's for sure.
One thing that does seem certain is that it's unhealthy, long term, to be overweight and not to exercise the heart daily. Hypertension is most certainly a very bad thing to have, also, it seems, but the cause of that still isn't completely clear. I read recently that there's a lot of interest in the two (or more...) different types of fat, with the research being sparked by doctors noticing that those who become severely ill or die with covid tend to be overweight and have one particular kind of fat around their heart and major organs, one replete with particular cell receptors that rely on an enzyme called ACE2.
Hi Steve, It is indeed fascinating... I am glad to hear your salt companies aren't adding dextrose. People here in the US were shocked to discover that Morton Salt & other ubiquitous brands list dextrose on the labels of salt boxes! I think your intuitions are probably correct about the power of the genetic connection. I can see it in my own AF journey (both parents & a bro w/ AF). I've had inflammatory bowel disease since age 21 and then my little bro was dx'd with Crohn's. Fortunately, I've also inherited some really good genes to balance it all out! Happy Christmas to you! Here in Kentucky we had our first snowfall--about 1/2 inch, ha ha, hardly qualifies! but it makes our horse farm landscapes and little towns look very much like Victorian England :-). Many blessings... Diane
Thank you, Diane, and my best wishes to you and your family for a happy Christmas and New Year (2024 almost - can you believe it!). Kentucky is really only famous to us in the UK for its "races". The name does connote somewhere rather lovely, though! We have had our first snowfall, about a fortnight ago - very pretty! Now it is high winds and has been dull and damp, well actually very wet indeed, for what seems forever.
Yes, I heard that re the ACE 2 receptors at a research meeting with voice surgeons who did the PERFORM study during the pandemic. (You might remember that singing in groups outaude was banned but yelling a football matches was apparently safe!) Sent me into high anxiety about my husband who's definitely obese. And yet...guess who has the lower cholesterol and BP out of the two?
There's a strange and still unexplained (I think...) medical phenomenon called the "fat paradox". If you've never heard of it, it's worth looking up. I read about it a while back and found it most interesting. Our elderly friend, well over 20 stones in weight died a short while back but she did make it to 94. Her mobility was severely troubled by her weight though and, in the end, it was infected pressure sores that led to the sepsis that did for her. Poor old at! Seeing her struggle over the eyes gave me a big shove in the direction of keeping my own weight down and, even though I am only about half a stone or so over, it would still be nice to lose it.
Like a lot of supplements, overdose (toxic) of their makeup becomes problems as if not in food which can be eliminated, amounting supplements cause high levels. And these supplements are NOT ELIMINATED.
Always get regular blood tests to know what level you are.
I think that most of the research has shown that it is very high levels of omega 3 supplementation - often found in prescription does of 2-4 gms a day that are problematical and that doses up to 1 gm are ok. Eating oily fish itself can be a problem as the bigger the fish the more mercury pollution. We love barbecued swordfish but limit it to a small piece 3/4 times a year.
Hi Jetcat, I think you're safe ... just read that sardines are small and don't live long enough to become very contaminated with mercury. One more factoid to brighten your Christmas season! Happy Christmas! Diane
I have been researching that myself and from what I understand it is because of the source if it is a fatty fish source. It is the oils that oxidize and clog up the workings of our systems. I found I can't them and I have a good source. My body does not want them. I do self muscle testing and I was muscle tested by my Chiropractor friend. no way does my body want them.
New studies even suggest that oils from many of the nuts are not good either.
I've mentioned in other threads my friend who sells health products in a multi-level-marketing scheme. Over the years I've had nine sales talks from her about Omega-3 supplements sources from deep-sea fish. I already eat a lot of fish and hazelnuts and have declined to buy the very expensive product, leading to some tension between us. Shortly after my TAVI, she increased the pressure to the extent that I had to "shut off" for ten minutes.
For Christmas she gave me some of the gels, with a warning on the box that people on blood thinners should consult their doctor before taking them. The recommended daily dosage is 1600mg, so just below the 2g limit suggested on some websites - and above the 1g referenced above by Auriculaire.
As well as my prescribed medication, I take D3, B12 and liquid iron and, apart from anything else, don't want to add yet another supplement.
Our cardiologist agreed with this study. My husband reduced to 1000mg per day from 3000mg. He has since stopped and is taking pentadeconaic acid, C-15 instead. A fatty acids. He seems to be doing much better on this regimen. Decreased AFib significantly. Coincidence????? We shall see.
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... just read that sardines are small and don't live long enough to become very contaminated with mercury. One more factoid to brighten your Christmas season! Happy Christmas! Diane
POTS - interesting article
AFib? Please read my story 
Interesting article on foods linked to palpitations 
Interesting article ''Anger-Related Atrial Fibrillation Is Real'' 
Interesting article on low-carb diet and AF
