Doctor's warning to anyone who takes omega-3 pills
Dr Federica Amati, chief nutrition scientist at Zoe Health, has issued a warning to people who take omega-3 supplements. Earlier this year, the expert joined Davina McCall on her Begin Again podcast, where she spoke about the pitfalls she sees with people who take vitamins and nutrients in pill form.
During the chat, Dr Amati shared her concerns and said: "Taking a supplement is easier than changing your diet... People take supplements and then they think 'okay, I've done my bit'." She added that many continue with unhealthy habits like poor diets, excessive drinking, lack of sleep, and inactive lifestyles.
Dr Amati continued: "That supplement, in the grand scheme of things, is going to have a very marginal effect on your health." Her comments come as recent figures show almost half of UK adults regularly take supplements.
The expert also recommends getting nutrients from food over pills, highlighting the difference with omega-3 intake. The doctor pointed to a "really good long-running clinical trial" that looked into whether omega-3 supplements deliver on their health promises, such as cutting down risks of cancers, heart disease, and mortality.
She concluded: "It doesn't do it. It doesn't do it in the same way that eating fish does."
Omega-3 fatty acids have an abundance of benefits, including supporting heart health, improving dry skin and eyes, lowering inflammation in the body. The NHS adds that omega-3s are "also important for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, because it can help a baby's nervous system to develop".
Health chiefs recommend you eat "at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish". If you don't like seafood, other omega-3 sources include flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans, and spinach.
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