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Fishy Oil Story

Depending upon whom you listen to, fish oil will either save your life, raise your children’s IQ levels, or wreak havoc upon your kids’ nervous systems.

So which is it?

Consumers who want to make fish a part of their weekly diet should pay close attention to all the studies that have been done, and listen closely to the details, while disregarding the hype.

For years, doctors have recommended eating more oily fish because of its high omega 3 fatty acid content, which some studies have shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.  However, a recent review of all of the scientific literature on fish oil concluded that there really isn’t very strong evidence that omega 3 fats protect against heart disease. So have doctors been wrong? The authors wouldn’t say that, either. Their report concludes that people should continue to eat oily fish, and research should continue to look into whether the heart benefit exists. In short, they hedged their bets. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn’t.

But can fish oil hurt you? Or are there other benefits?

Again, the answer is: that depends.

Many kinds of fish are high in mercury, which is clearly harmful to pregnant women and children. A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 17 women of childbearing age in the United States had blood mercury levels of more than 5.8 micrograms per liter – high enough to cause harm to the developing fetus. Mercury has been shown to harm the brain and central nervous system of infants and children. Most states carry fish advisories warning women of childbearing age to limit their consumption of fish that may contain mercury, such as tuna (and several other kinds).

However, other studies have found that fish oil supplements can greatly benefit children. Children who took fish oil supplements scored higher on reading and spelling and saw dramatic improvements in behavior, according to a study published in May 2005 in the scientific journal Pediatrics.

So what to do? If you want to give your child fish oil supplements, it is possible to buy mercury-free fish oil in liquid form. Whether it will help them prevent a heart attack later in life is still up for debate. But it might just help them stay calm and focused in the meantime.

For more information about the analysis of fish oil studies and heart disease, click here.

For more information on mercury contamination in fish, and the adverse health effects, click here.

For information on the potential health benefits of fish oil for children, click here.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org