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Lots of people who fancy themselves health nuts swear by fish oil supplements. You may even be one of them.
It’s one of the most popular supplements in the U.S. But unfortunately, it looks like they may be useless.
A bunch of new studies have come out recently that have tested the efficacy of these supplements, and there’s nothing but bad news.
This is especially true now that a five-year, 4,000 patient study has concluded, the biggest of the studies done in the past few years.
Omega-3 supplements are supposed to slow down the cognitive decline of older adults, but the study found that these supplements did next to nothing.
In fact, they don’t do any better than a placebo.
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Some combinations of antioxidants and minerals were somewhat effective in slowing age-related macular decline (AMD), but all adults assigned to three popular supplements (omega-3, lutein, and zeaxanthin) didn’t show any decrease in AMD. They all were just as bad as the placebo.
Unfortunately, omega-3 supplements don’t seem to have any effect on Alzheimer’s, either. So that’s score none for omega-3 supplements where brain health is concerned. This belief stemmed from earlier studies that showed positive effects on rats with protein deposits similar to ones seen with Alzheimer’s, but a clinical study on humans showed no effect.
While this isn’t the best news, it does mean you don’t have to spend as much money on supplements anymore.
And the main researcher of this new study sees a bright side: “The AREDS2 data add to our efforts to understand the relationship between dietary components and Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline. It may be, for example, that the timing of nutrients, or consuming them in a certain dietary pattern, has an impact.”
