New research finds fish oil supplements can slow healing for some injuries
Omega 3 fish oil capsules (Photo by Luis Boza/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
New research on popular fish oil supplements challenges the potential benefits for certain patients, particularly when it comes to brain health.
The study, published in the Cell Reports journal and led by Onder Albayram, a neuroscientist and associate professor at Medical University of South Carolina, found that contrary to popular belief, fish oil supplements could slow down the healing process after a brain injury. Here’s what the study found:
Onder Albayram’s fish oil research
Big picture view:
Fish oil has been promoted for "neuroprotective" benefits derived from its key component, omega-3 fatty acids. In addition to capsules, it can also be found in drinks, dairy alternatives and snack products, Fox News Digital reports.
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The study focused on the neurovascular system, or the network of blood vessels that feeds nutrients to the brain and helps it repair itself.
MUSC researchers found that EPA, a specific omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, can impair healing in the brain after an injury. Instead of protecting the brain, long-term use of fish oil appeared to make it more vulnerable, researchers found, because EPA appeared to make blood vessel walls in the brain less stable. Those vessels need strength for the brain to heal itself, researchers said.
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EPA also blocked the repair signals that the brain usually sends out after experiencing physical trauma, researchers found. Fish also was also linked to a buildup of protein called tau, which is often associated with long-term brain diseases.
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What they're saying:
"Fish oil supplements are everywhere, and people take them for a range of reasons, often without a clear understanding of their long-term effects," Albayram said in a news release. "But in terms of neuroscience, we still don't know whether the brain has resilience or resistance to this supplement. That's why ours is the first such study in the field."
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Is fish oil bad?
Dig deeper:
Albayram points out that the study has limitations – most of the key findings were observed in mice, which may not translate directly to people.
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"I am not saying fish oil is good or bad in some universal way," he said. "What our data highlight is that biology is context-dependent. We need to understand how these supplements behave in the body over time, rather than assuming the same effect applies to everyone."
The Source: This report includes information from Onder Albayram, a neuroscientist and associate professor at Medical University of South Carolina, and Fox News Digital.