Fish oil, along with another hugely popular dietary supplement which has been garnering more and more attention for the potential benefit it has against cancer of all types, Vitamin D, are both going to be undergoing a government funded study to see if either one really has the protective benefits that everyone seems to think they do.  This is supposed to be the first study of the kind, which includes a large segment of the african american population, so it’s going to probably give some of the better results that we see since it’s a diverse test group.

The reason this study is particularly important is because the african american population typically has higher rates of cancer, stroke and heart disease, and since these two supplements puportedly offer a lot of protection against all of those ailments, and potentially can be a great life saving and health maintenance tool in particular, it will be important that this study shows some benefit.  It has been long thought that the reason certain cancer rates are higher amongst the black population is that their skin does not allow them to synthesize vitamin D from the sun since there is more pigment, and it has been hypothesized that vitamin D deficient people are more likely to develop cancer.

Fish oil has been used by people for years now as a supplement that we think can help protect heart health, prevent strokes, and even possibly have some sort of anti cancer benefit as well.  Not only that, but omega 3’s in fish oil and other supplements are thought to help the skin, hair, nails and connective tissues, as well as help with our cognitive function and perhaps even ensure that we stay mentally sharp well into old age rather than deteriorate quickly as some people do that may not have any fish oil or other omega 3 fatty acid foods in their diet.

So, I’m not sure when the study will be completed, or if it will even be done this year, but it should be interesting to see if the study shows any health benefits or not.  I know I for one, will still be taking fish oil supplements for the rest of my life as I’ve personally felt and seen the difference when I use them versus when I do not use them, but that’s all in individual taste and perception.  It’ll be interesting to see what the “objective” evidence shows.  I just hope this study is accurately done and doesn’t discourage people from taking supplements.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 11:38 am and is filed under Nutritional Supplements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.