The benefits of omega-3 fatty acid preparations or fish oil supplements have not been sufficiently proven. This indicates their low effectiveness or its complete absence as a prophylaxis of heart disease, dementia or age-related eye diseases.
The Stiftung Warentes Consumer Information Institute conducted comparative tests on the quality of various products and consumer services and tested 20 nutritional supplements and three preparations containing fish oil, algae oil, and linseed oil.
The result showed that drugs with omega-3s do not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) – the benefits of their use are not sufficiently proven. Experts find the effectiveness of these dietary supplements to be minimal – their consumption either does not at all reduce the risk of CVD, or very little. Moreover, this statement applies both to healthy people taking drugs with omega-3 as a prophylaxis, and to patients with a high risk of CVD. The experts also did not find sufficient evidence of the benefits of these dietary supplements for the prevention of dementia or age-related eye diseases.
However, the study says, no harmful substances were found in any of the tested drugs, and they do not harm health.
Experts emphasize that foods high in this fatty acid are healthy: fish (salmon, herring, sardines), seafood, some types of nuts (walnuts), and vegetable oils (linseed, canola). According to the German Nutrition Society, 4-5 walnuts are enough to close the body’s daily requirement for omega-3s.
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