We Smell Something Fishy: The Debate Over Fish Oil Rages On
It seems like every time we check the news, there's a new wonder supplement that comes along and claims to cure everything, from acne to bad taste in men. The claims are so out there that it’s hard to know if they could possibly be true, or to resist the allure of popping a pill and having all your problems solved.
One particular pill adored by celebrity dermatologists and nutritionists alike is fish oil. Rich in omegas, fish oil is constantly touted to be the cure for what ails you. But is this "magic pill" really all it's cracked up to be?
A recent study done in the Netherlands showed that tumors in mice became insensitive to chemotherapy after being given normal amounts of fish oil supplements. The authors of this study concluded that substances that are found in traditional fish oil supplements are similar to protective substances that the body itself secretes into the blood that are powerful enough to block the effect of chemotherapy, meaning fish oil is a no-go for cancer patients.
One can only deduce that fish oil supplements are pretty powerful stuff if they can protect your cells from something as intense as the toxic chemicals used to kill cancer cells and be responsible for curing acne and preventing heart disease and dementia. Seems too good to be true, right?
We asked two experts — Dr. Eleni Linos, dermatologist and assistant clinical professor at UCSF, and Dr. Eduaro Dolhun, founder of the Dolhun Clinic and the nonprofit Doctors Outreach Clinics — our most burning questions about this high-profile supplement. Read on to hear what they have to say about the great fish-oil debate.
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