At Biomh®, we don’t sell ω-3 supplements for the simple reason we do not believe in them providing benefits for human health.
There is some serious research backing this up.
In 2018, the Cochrane Review titled “Omega-3 fatty acids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease” (by Abdelhamid AS, Brown TJ, Brainard JS, and colleagues) evaluated a large number of randomized controlled trials investigating whether increasing intake of ω-3 fatty acids affects cardiovascular health outcomes, in a meta-analysis. It specifically examined both primary prevention (preventing disease in people without known cardiovascular disease) and secondary prevention (preventing further disease in people who already have cardiovascular disease).
The results are sobering in that no meaningful relationship could be established between increasing long-chain ω-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) and risk of death from any cause, cardiovascular death, or major cardiovascular events. With regard to supplements of long-chain ω-3s (like fish oil capsules), the study found that these do not significantly reduce cardiovascular disease risk or improve clinical outcomes. It was found that ω-3 intake did lower triglyceride levels and slightly raise HDL cholesterol, but these biological changes did not translate into clear clinical benefits.
What’s more, several recent research studies highlight that ω-3 supplements may even be harmful for some people. A meta-analysis from 2021 published in Circulation (Gencer e.a. 2021), established a 25% increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with placebo after marine ω-3 fatty acid supplementation, with a higher risk in trials testing >1 gram per day of ω-3 fatty acid supplementation. The reason is not entirely clear, but researchers suggest it may be related to the complex electrophysiological effects of fish oil supplements, which exhibit both pro- and antiarrhythmic properties.
Overall, adhering to an anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense diet of high-quality, unprocessed food is far more important for cardiovascular and metabolic health, alongside other lifestyle factors. In that diet, high quality sources of ω-3 fatty acids have their place in the total food matrix, with fatty fish being the overall best source, before ground flaxseed or chia seeds.
What’s more, another food component may have a more foundational, consistent, and broad impact on reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, compared to ω-3 fatty acids. We are talking about dietary fiber. The 2019 Lancet series on carbohydrate quality (Reynolds e.a. 2019) reported that higher fiber intakes were linked with ~15–30% lower cardiovascular-related mortality and CVD incidence, with the strongest reductions seen around 25–29 g/day (and potentially more benefit above that).
Gencer, Baris, Luc Djousse, Omar T. Al-Ramady, Nancy R. Cook, JoAnn E. Manson, en Christine M. Albert. 2021. “Effect of Long-Term Marine ɷ-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation on the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Randomized Controlled Trials of Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”. Circulation 144 (25): 1981-90. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055654.
Reynolds, Andrew, Jim Mann, John Cummings, Nicola Winter, Evelyn Mete, en Lisa Te Morenga. 2019. “Carbohydrate Quality and Human Health: A Series of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses”. The Lancet 393 (10170): 434-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9.
