Omega 3 supplements do not reduce cardiovascular risk in elderly

Commentators have said that more trials on the effects of omega 3 fatty acid supplements “seem unjustified” after another study found that their use was not associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Patients should be advised to eat fish rather than take the supplements, they said.

They were commenting on a study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine that looked at daily dietary supplementation with omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (also found in fish) or lutein and zeaxanthin (nutrients found in green leafy vegetables) in 4203 people who had age related macular degeneration.1 The participants, whose average age was 74 years, were …