[Suzanne 3FC]

This article is a few months old, but there are still diet pill companies promoting Omega 3 as a weight loss aid.

A team of researchers from The Cooper Institute in the US set out to investigate whether the addition of supplementation with omega-3 fatty acid, in conjunction with diet and exercise, would facilitate greater weight loss over a six month period.
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“Omega-3 fatty acids were not effective as an adjunct for weight loss in this otherwise healthy, overweight population,” they concluded.

The study did show that Omega 3 fatty acids are good for the cardiovascular system, as shown in other studies. Weight loss - not so much.

Read the full article at http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/...ss-possibility

[kaplods]

Per the article:

Omega-3 fatty acids were not effective as an adjunct for weight loss in this otherwise healthy, overweight population,” they concluded.

However the team said that their finding does not mean omega-3 supplements are of no help at all to overweight individuals. On the contrary, they referred to previous studies on the cardiovascular benefits of the same dose of omega-3 fatty acids which concluded that they helped people enter the ‘low risk’ cardiovascular category.


“Thus, whereas one might not enhance weight loss by taking supplements with this level of omega-3 fatty acids, the protective cardiovascular effect should still be realized because of the sheer increase in blood concentrations of the fatty acids,” they wrote.

I suspect there might have been a difference had they studied overweight people with some of the health issues common to overweight and obese folk - high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes or insulin resistance, IBS, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, copd...

I'd like to see a study done with the effects of omega-3 supplementation and weight loss for people with one or some of those conditions.




Fish oil has been a godsend to me. Mostly for pain relief, but also indirectly my weight loss, because of the greater mobility I have because of the pain and inflammation relief.


When I learned that I couldn't take relafen any more for my arthritis, because it was aggravating my severe asthma and copd. I looked for an alternative, and fish oil seemed the best option. In the long run, it was far more effective than the prescription anti-inflammatories. The difference was so amazing. The fish oil reduced my pain, and increased my stamina and energy levels, and therefore my ability and interest in physical activity. It worked better than the prescription anti-inflammatories (with far fewer adverse effects).

I did start losing weight more rapidly, because I was able to be more active. The fish oil only indirectly helped by reducing pain and inflammation, but that alone was a tremendous help.

I'm on several medications and supplements, and I'd give up any of my prescription meds before the fish oil, that's how effective it was for me, in allowing me to have a more active life.

I never believed in supplements other than a daily vitamin when dieting (and then more as a "precaution" than a necessity), but the dramatic benefits (especially in term of joint pain relief) of fish oil have made me a bit of a "convert." I still believe most supplements are unnecessary, but fish oil for me, isn't one of those. I try to eat more fish, but I'm just not fond enough of the oily fishes to get my omega-3's that way.

Speed of weight loss isn't the only benefit worth considering. Health benefits while losing weight, especially joint and cardiovascular protection and pain relief are nothing to sneeze at, and should be considered. More research needs to be done into the potential benefits (besides faster or greater weight loss). Studies need to be done of overweight and obese people who do have some of the health issues associated with obesity.