Fish Oil is one of the hottest supplement health trends today. It’s estimated that in 2012, Fish Oil supplement sales will reach $2.5 billion dollars. No, that’s not million, that is billion.

You can read all over the internet and hear from doctors about the vast and amazing benefit of fish oil. In fact, it’s very difficult to avoid the propaganda that comes along with a $2.5 billion dollar product.

I’m not pointing fingers but unfortunately, $2.5 billion dollars can buy you a lot of support.

You might think that doctors and other health professionals can’t be bought but let’s think about that for a second…
How many toothpaste commercials have you seen that show a dentist inside their office, giving their support for a particular brand of toothpaste? Do you think that they are doing this commercial out of the kindness of their heart? Of course not. They are getting paid, and substantially.

Why?

Because people are taught from a young age to trust doctors. So, if a doctor tells you that it’s good then it must be the truth.

Do you really think that doctors that are out there promoting fish oil and various other forms of medication aren’t being paid by fish oil companies or drug companies?

While many of the benefits of Fish Oil lie in the Vitamin A and Vitamin D that some of them contain, the damage caused by highly unsaturated fatty acids far outweigh any benefits of the Vitamins.

It is highly recommended that you use sources of Vitamin A and Vitamin D that are not dissolved in fish oil which will provide all of the benefits of these vitamins without the damage of the fish oil itself.

Most of the studies attempting to demonstrate the benefits of Fish Oil do so by making assumptions or suggestions beyond what the data provides or by discussing only potential benefits while ignoring the damaging and detrimental effects.

This document is designed to show you the other side of Fish Oil that they don’t want you to see.

The studies provided within this document were chosen for their ease of understanding. There are many more studies that demonstrate the many dangers of Fish Oil that are far more scientific and difficult to read and/or understand for the lay person which have not been included.

Doesn’t Fish Oil Help My Immune System?

One of the biggest proposed benefits of Fish Oil are the “so-called” immune boosting properties it provides. But a further look into the subject reveals some very interesting data.

The studies that have been used to claim these specific immune benefits base their results entirely on the reduction of symptoms associated with the immune system.

However, there are a number of studies that show how Fish Oil is very immune-suppressive meaning that the proposed immune benefits are actually a result of a suppressed immune system.

Is that really a benefit?

Many drugs used to treat autoimmune conditions such as arthritis rely on suppressing immune activity in much the same way. But it is well known that suppressing the immune system leaves you vulnerable to a number of potential health risks. So, needless to say there are plenty of potential tradeoffs.

Below are some studies showing the immune-suppressive affects of Fish Oil as well as a study that demonstrates the increased immune-reactivity in newborns due to babies getting a diet high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Food allergies are a major immune related problem today that continues to get worse. This study shows the correlation between high levels Omega 3 Fatty Acids in breast milk and infant food allergies.

Please note: We highly recommend breastfeeding and this study is not negative towards breastfeeding. It is simply demonstrating why even breastfeeding mothers should keep PUFAs to a minimum.

Doesn’t Fish Oil Help With Depression?

This is another big stretch of the imagination when it comes to Fish Oil.

None of the studies performed on Fish Oil and depression have yielded any real results. And the studies being used to promote the use of Fish Oil for depression are quite unscientific.

In fact, one such study based their conclusion on the fact that giving prisoners fish oil correlated with a reduction in prison assaults. I’m not sure how prison assaults can be used a measure of mental health but one could just as easily argue that the fish oil made them sick which accounts for the reduction.

There have been a number of studies that have shown that Fish Oil provides no benefit to mental health:

Doesn’t Fish Oil Protect You From Heart Disease?

Fish Oil is being recommended by just about all doctors to help improve heart health. But does it really provide heart health benefits?

While the American Heart Association continues to recommend Fish Oil as part of a heart healthy diet, there’s been no real evidence of any benefits.

Some studies have even shown the negative effects of Fish Oil on heart health.

Does Fish Oil Protect Me from Cancer?

There are some studies that researchers are claiming “may” show the cancer protective benefits of Fish Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. However, there are a number of research studies that demonstrate the implication of these fats in the metastasis of cancer.