Dr. Robert A. Vogel
Why have some earlier studies suggested a significant effect, enough to help convince millions of Americans to add fish oil pills to their diets? “Previous suggestions of benefits from EPA and DHA supplements appear to spring from trials with higher risk of bias,” the researchers wrote. Robert A. Vogel, MD, a cardiologist at the University of Colorado Denver who is familiar with the review findings, said in an interview that “it’s hard to recommend taking fish oil for heart disease. Even if there’s some effect, it’s got to be a very small, 5%-7% reduction at the best.
“That is not to say that there isn’t an effect on triglycerides,” he added. “[Fish oil] is an accepted way of reducing triglycerides. But you don’t reduce triglycerides to reduce heart disease. There are other risks to high triglycerides, such as pancreatitis.”
Dr. Vogel said he’s never taken fish oil supplements, but he does eat fish 5-6 times a week.
The review was funded by the University of East Anglia, Cochrane Heart Group, and the National Institute for Health Research. The review authors reported no relevant disclosures. Dr. Vogel disclosed consulting for the Pritikin Longevity Center.
SOURCE: Abdelhamid AS et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Jul 18. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003177.pub3.