Fish oil supplement health claims smell a bit fishy

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-08-24 01:00

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The majority of fish oil supplement labels make health claims, but most are not backed by solid evidence, according to US researchers. The team looked at 2,819 different US fish oil supplements and found nearly three in four made health claims, while only around one in five made claims that were backed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Cardiovascular health claims were the most common, the researchers found. The team then looked at the amount of active compounds eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in 255 fish oil supplements from 16 leading brands. Only 24 of the supplements (around one in ten) contained a daily dose of 2g or more EPA+DHA - the level recommended for lowering cholesterol. Stricter regulation of the supplements industry could help address these shonky practices, the researchers say.

Media release

From: JAMA

Health Claims and Doses of Fish Oil Supplements

About The Study: The results of this study suggest that the majority of fish oil supplement labels make health claims, usually in the form of structure/function claims, that imply a health benefit across a variety of organ systems despite a lack of trial data showing efficacy. Significant heterogeneity exists in the daily dose of eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid in available supplements, leading to potential variability in safety and efficacy between supplements.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Cardiology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Texas, USA

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