Omega-3 supplements and fish oil taken by millions of people are useless at preventing heart attacks, strokes and other fatal illness, the most authoritative overview of medical evidence has concluded.
Health-conscious shoppers are wasting their money and should buy vegetables instead, experts recommended after a comprehensive analysis revealed that supplements made no difference to the risk of heart disease or dying early from any other disease.
Previous research on the health benefits of oily fish helped to create a booming market in capsules of the omega-3 fats, which are promoted as protecting the brain and heart. Britain spends £420 million a year on vitamins and supplements, according to the market research company Mintel.
Researchers for the Cochrane Library have analysed 79 gold-standard randomised trials involving
