Eating seafood regularly can reduce your risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. Scientists think that’s mostly because fish, and in particular fatty fish, contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that promote brain and cardiovascular health. But what if you don’t like fish, or find it a bit pricey? Lots of people turn to omega-3 supplements, aka fish oil, which are inexpensive and readily available. Good idea, right?
Not so fast! Numerous studies have shown that getting your omega-3 fatty acid intake from a supplement does not have the same health benefits as getting them from real food, which generally means seafood. In fact, some studies have shown that omega-3 supplements have precisely zero cardiovascular or cognitive benefits. This seems counter-intuitive, so what gives? The details are not all worked out yet, but some possible reasons for this discrepancy are:
- Nutritional supplements are not regulated in the US, so there is no guarantee that those fish oil capsules you bought actually contain what the label says they do.
- The additional nutrients you get when eating fish may interact synergistically with the omega-3 fatty acids to provide health benefits. These additional nutrients are of course lacking when you take supplements.
- The omega-3 fatty acids in supplements have been processed and seems to be absorbed by your body less efficiently that those directly from seafood.
What about vegetarians/vegans and those allergic to seafood? Fortunately, there are good plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids, for example flax seed (and flax seed oil), chia seeds, walnuts, and soybeans.
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