Fish oil and vitamin D supplements can reduce cancer and the risk of heart disease



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  • It is now proven that fish oil and vitamin D supplements, taken daily for a few years, have the ability to reduce a person's risk of cancer and heart attack.
  • Previous research has shown that vitamin D supplements are unnecessary or even harmful in terms of health benefits.
  • Additional research is needed to determine who could benefit the most from fish oil and vitamin D supplements.
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It is now proven that fish oil and vitamin D supplements, taken daily for several years, can reduce the risk of cancer and heart attack, although previous research has shown that vitamin D supplements are of no use for health.

The new study, presented by researchers at the North American Menopause Society's annual meeting on Sept. 24, is one of the largest in recent years. She shows how two popular supplements, vitamin D and fish oil, could reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers examined nearly 26,000 American men aged at least 50 and women aged at least 55 years old. Over a five-year period, researchers have asked men and women to take 2,000 IU of vitamin D supplements a day and 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of a daily supplement. Fish oil. The upper limit of daily vitamin D intake for adults is 4,000 IU, according to the National Institutes of Health.

They found that the daily consumption of fish oil supplements significantly reduced the risk of heart attack and that the daily consumption of vitamin D supplements significantly reduced the risk of cancer deaths, whichever it is. is.

Read more: There is new evidence of a connection between coffee and cancer. This does not mean you have to stop drinking coffee right away.

In addition, researchers found that the benefits of fish oil were greatest for people who ate less than 1.5 fish per week. They also found that African Americans had the greatest reduction in cancer risk and heart attack risk when they were on supplemental diet for years.

Previous research has suggested that vitamin D supplements are a waste of money

Vitamin D

Vitamin D supplements
Derek Davis / Portland Herald Press via Getty Images

These results run counter to previous research that vitamin D supplements did not bring any additional benefit to heart health and therefore was a waste of money for most healthy people.

A meta-analysis published on June 19 in JAMA Cardiology examined more than 83,000 people in 21 previous studies. Half of these people have been taking vitamin D supplements for more than a year.

The researchers found that those who took vitamin D supplements did not have a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, or heart attack, nor were they less likely to die from any cause, this which means that the vitamin D supplements that they used seemed ineffective. .

It is important to note, however, that many of the studies that the researchers included in their meta-analysis did not look for a specific link between heart disease and vitamin D consumption.

Read more: 9 things to know before taking supplements

Another meta-analysis, published June 8 in Annals of Internal Medicine, included 105 previous studies and examined how 16 different types of supplements, including vitamin D and omega-3, affected the risk of developing a drug. cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke or coronary heart disease. heart disease and their risk of dying from any cause during the reporting period.

Vitamin D has no beneficial effect on reducing the risk of any of the conditions above, but the researchers found that omega-3 supplements reduced the risk of heart attack, which corresponds to the findings of the new study on omega-3 in the form of fish oil.

Another study suggests that vitamin D could harm your health

A study published in April in Annals of Internal Medicine found that vitamin D supplements could actually increase the risk of cancer and death if a person did not have vitamin D deficiency.

This makes the results of the new study all the more surprising.

Researchers have, however, pointed out some reservations, namely that it is possible that the additional benefits found among African Americans are related to socioeconomic status and a lack of overall nutrition compared to other people in the US. ;study.

"The structure of the results suggests a complex balance of benefits and risks for each intervention and highlights the need for further research to determine which individuals are most likely to benefit from these supplements," he said. Dr. JoAnn Manson, lead author of the study, said in a press release.

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