關(guān)于魚油的真相

關(guān)于魚油的真相

In the United States, sales of fish oil, commonly sold as the nutritional supplement omega-3 fatty acids, reached $2.25 billion in 2014. Touted for its ability to do just about everything but leap tall buildings, fish oil has become one of the trendiest supplements out there. It's the third most widely used dietary supplement, after vitamins and minerals.

在美國，魚油的銷售額在2014年達(dá)到22.5億美元，魚油通常作為營養(yǎng)補充品-3脂肪酸出售。魚油因其除了能飛躍高樓大廈外幾乎無所不能而備受吹捧，如今它已成為最時髦的補充劑之一。它是第三大最廣泛使用的膳食補充劑，僅次于維生素和礦物質(zhì)。

Are these capsules full of amazing cures and treatments or are they just a version of modern-day snake oil? (Photo: R_Szatkowski/Shutterstock)

In fact, a Denmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that pregnant women who took fish oil during the last trimester significantly lowered their child's risk of asthma. Researchers studied children whose mothers took fish oil supplements and found only 16.9 percent had asthma by age 3, compared with 23.7 percent whose mothers took placebos. That's a reduction of about 31 percent.

事實上，發(fā)表在《新英格蘭醫(yī)學(xué)雜志》(New England Journal of Medicine)上的一項丹麥研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，妊娠晚期服用魚油的孕婦明顯降低了孩子患哮喘的風(fēng)險。研究人員研究了母親服用魚油補充劑的孩子，發(fā)現(xiàn)只有16.9%的孩子在3歲前患有哮喘，而母親服用安慰劑的孩子只有23.7%。這大約減少了31%。

Although there is evidence that fish oil is helpful in treating some conditions, there is much more about the oil that can’t be proven. Fish oil comes with a disconcerting list of potential toxins, side effects and sustainability issues.

盡管有證據(jù)表明魚油對治療某些疾病有幫助，但還有很多關(guān)于魚油的信息無法得到證實。魚油含有一系列令人不安的潛在毒素、副作用和可持續(xù)性問題。

A fat lot of good: Omega-3 fatty acids

脂肪很多好處:-3脂肪酸

Over the past few decades, study after study has linked consumption of omega-3s with a number of health benefits, most notably those involving heart health, inflammation, and vision and cognitive issues. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that omega-3 fatty acids reduce pain and swelling. These fatty acids also prevent the blood from clotting easily, which might make fish oil helpful for heart conditions. NIH goes on to list one condition for which fish oil is “effective for” (high triglycerides), one condition for which fish oil is “likely effective for” (heart disease), and 26 conditions for which omega-3s may be “possibly effective for” (everything from stroke to cancer to psychosis).

在過去的幾十年里，一項又一項的研究將-3脂肪酸的攝入與許多健康益處聯(lián)系起來，其中最顯著的益處涉及心臟健康、炎癥、視力和認(rèn)知問題。美國國立衛(wèi)生研究院(NIH)指出-3脂肪酸可以減輕疼痛和腫脹。這些脂肪酸還可以防止血液凝結(jié)，這可能會使魚油有助于改善心臟狀況。NIH還列出了一種魚油“對”(高甘油三酯)“有效”的情況，一種魚油“可能對”(心臟病)“有效”的情況，以及26種omega-3“可能對”(從中風(fēng)、癌癥到精神病)“有效”的情況。

The science is murky

科學(xué)是模糊的

There has been supportive evidence from numerous studies suggesting that the consumption of recommended amounts of DHA and EPA in the form of dietary fish or fish oil supplements lowers triglycerides; reduces the risk of death, heart attack, dangerous abnormal heart rhythms, and strokes in people with known cardiovascular disease.

大量研究提供了支持證據(jù)，表明以膳食魚類或魚油補充劑的形式攝入推薦量的DHA和EPA可降低甘油三酯;降低已知心血管疾病患者的死亡、心臟病發(fā)作、危險的心律異常和中風(fēng)的風(fēng)險。

The history of fish oil fandom

魚油迷的歷史

An Inuit fisherman snacks on freshly caught halibut in Greenland. (Photo: STR)

In the 1970s, Danish scientists Dr. Hans Olaf Bang and Dr. Jorn Dyerberg, studied Inuits living in remote villages in northern Greenland. These villagers had remarkably low levels of cardiovascular disease and the scientists concluded their heart health was due to their diet. The Inuits ate lots of fish, seal and whale blubber. The researchers suggested that everyone could benefit from the omega-3-heavy fishy diet.

20世紀(jì)70年代，丹麥科學(xué)家Hans Olaf Bang博士和Jorn Dyerberg博士研究了居住在格陵蘭北部偏遠(yuǎn)村莊的因紐特人。這些村民的心血管疾病水平非常低，科學(xué)家們得出結(jié)論，他們的心臟健康是由飲食決定的。因紐特人吃了很多魚、海豹和鯨脂。研究人員建議，每個人都可以從富含-3脂肪酸的魚類飲食中受益。

Toxins can be a problem

毒素可能是個問題

Although the good omega-3s reside in the fatty tissue of fish, that is also the very place where environmental contaminates bioaccumulate, which means that oil derived from these tissues may contain high concentrations of environmental contaminants.

雖然好的-3脂肪酸存在于魚類的脂肪組織中，但那里也是環(huán)境污染生物聚集的地方，這意味著從這些組織中提取的油可能含有高濃度的環(huán)境污染物。

Fish oil is served with a side of side effects

魚油也有副作用

Taking fish oil supplements with meals may help prevent side effects, such as constipation or nausea. (Photo: Syda Productions/Shutterstock)

Patients with asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, or liver disease, and patients at risk for colon cancer should use cautiously, based on potential adverse effects associated with fish oil use.

考慮到使用魚油可能產(chǎn)生的副作用，哮喘、炎癥性腸病或肝病患者以及有結(jié)腸癌風(fēng)險的患者應(yīng)謹(jǐn)慎使用。

There are sustainability issues

還有可持續(xù)性的問題

An Omega Protein fisherman looks down at a school of menhaden fish caught in the net below, off the coast of Smith Island in Virginia. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission sets the Menhaden catch limit per year. (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

The best and most-commonly used sources for the pills we pop are oily fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines to name a few; many environmentalists fear that some species are being overfished for this purpose. We may have an endless appetite for fish oil, but we don’t have an endless supply of fish.

最好的和最常用的藥丸來源是油性魚類，如鮭魚，鯖魚和沙丁魚等;許多環(huán)保人士擔(dān)心，為了這個目的，有些物種正被過度捕撈。我們可能對魚油有著無窮無盡的需求，但我們并沒有無窮無盡的魚類供應(yīng)。