Regular use of fish oil supplements might increase rather than lessen the risk of heart disease and stroke among people with good cardiovascular health, according to a study published by BMJ Medicine. Fish oil is a major source of omega 3 fatty acids and is recommended to prevent heart disease. BMJ Medicine researchers found the evidence on the amount of protection it offers is inconclusive. “Regular use of fish oil supplements might have different roles in the progression of cardiovascular disease,” said the BMJ Medicine researchers in a press release. “Further studies are needed to determine the precise mechanisms for the development and prognosis of cardiovascular disease events with regular use of fish oil supplements.”To strengthen the evidence base, BMJ Medicine said researchers set out to estimate the associations between fish oil supplements and new cases of atrial fibrillation; heart attack, stroke, and heart failure; and death from any cause in those with no known heart disease. It added they assessed the potential role of these supplements on the risk of progressing from good heart health (primary stage), atrial fibrillation (secondary stage), major cardiovascular events (tertiary stage), and death (end stage).They relied on 415,737 UK Biobank study participants who were surveyed between 2006 and 2010 to gather details. Participants were asked about their usual dietary intake of oily and non-oily fish and fish oil supplements.Their health was monitored until the end of 2021 or death, which was assessed by looking at medical records. It said almost one-third of the participants often used fish oil supplements. This group included higher proportions of older and white people and women. During an average monitoring period of about 12 years, 18,367 participants developed atrial fibrillation, 22,636 had a heart attack or stroke or developed heart failure, and 22,140 died. However, 14,902 did not have atrial fibrillation or serious heart disease.When it comes to the people who progressed from good cardiovascular health to atrial fibrillation, 3,085 developed heart failure, 1,415 had a heart attack, and 1,180 had a stroke. While people developed these complications, 2,436 of those with heart failure died, 2,098 of those who experienced a heart attack did, and 2,088 who had a stroke did. It said regular use of fish oil supplements had different roles in heart health, disease progression, and death. For people with no known heart disease at the start of the monitoring period, regular use of fish oil supplements was associated with a 13% heightened risk of developing atrial fibrillation and a 5% higher risk of having a stroke.For those who had heart disease at the start of the monitoring period, regular use of fish oil supplements was associated with a 15% lower risk of progressing from atrial fibrillation to a heart attack and a 9% lower risk of progressing from heart failure to death.It noted age, sex, smoking, consumption of non-oily fish, high blood pressure, and use of statins and blood pressure lowering drugs changed the observations. Regular use of fish oil supplements and the risk of transitioning from good health to heart attack, stroke, or heart failure was 6% higher in women and non-smokers. Their protective effect on the transition from good health to death was greater in men and older people. Since this is an observational study, BMJ Medicine said no conclusions can be drawn about causal factors. No information was available on the dose or formulation of the fish oil supplements. This study comes after Health Canada applied new regulations to the supplemented food industry in 2022. READ MORE: Health Canada applies new rules to standardized supplemented food“The new regulations will continue to protect the health and safety of Canadians while providing people in Canada the information they need to make informed choices about these foods,” said Health Canada.“The new rules will also allow industry to bring new and innovative products to consumers.”
