Fish oil may increase heart disease risk

Regularly taking fish oil supplements high in omega-3 may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, The Guardian reports , citing a study published in the journal BMJ Medicine.

A team of researchers from China, the US, the UK and Denmark followed the health of more than 400,000 participants in the UK Biobank for 12 years. They were looking for a link between fish oil consumption and the occurrence of atrial fibrillation, heart attacks, strokes and heart failure in people. They were also looking at whether there was a link between taking such supplements and death in people without diagnosed cardiovascular disease.

The researchers concluded that taking fish oil supplements has different effects on people with and without heart problems.

For example, people with atrial fibrillation were able to reduce their risk of cardiac arrest by 15%, while patients with heart failure were 9% less likely to die from the disease. Overall, scientists found the greatest positive effect of fish oil supplementation among older people (their risk of death was reduced by 11%) and men with diagnosed heart disease (their risk of death was reduced by 7%).

At the same time, for people who regularly took supplements without heart problems, the risk of developing atrial fibrillation increased by 13%, and the risk of stroke by 5%. Among healthy patients taking fish oil, women (6% more often than men) and non-smokers (6% more often than smokers) were most likely to experience a stroke or develop heart failure.

The study's authors emphasized that it was observational, meaning it did not interfere with the patients' illnesses. It cannot be used to draw conclusions about the immediate causes, they noted. The researchers also did not disclose information about the dosage or composition of the fish oil supplements that people took. The scientists added that most of the participants were white, so the results may not be applicable to people of other ethnicities.

To get the main news faster, subscribe to our telegram and twitter .