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As many of you know, I'm not one to trample on anyone's widely held, cherished beliefs but I will say that there is new data on this subject that is contrary to what some of you seem to accept as fact. Wink

Link

Fish Oil – Better Left in the Fish?

Everybody knows fish oil is good for you. It’s one of the most popular diet supplements, and even the FDA allows claims that it can help prevent heart attacks. It has been claimed to help everything from schizophrenia to psoriasis. Here are the only claims that are supported by good quality evidence:

1. In patients who have had a heart attack, fish oil improves survival.
2. It reduces triglycerides.
3. In patients with high cholesterol levels it reduces the risk of coronary events but does not decrease mortality.
4. It reduces blood pressure slightly.

There are some concerns. In the DART 2 trial of men with chronic coronary disease (stable angina), it apparently increased the risk of death. In a study of patients who had an implanted cardioverter defibrillator, it increased the risk of arrhythmias. With higher doses, it can worsen control of diabetes and it can increase bleeding tendency. Side effects include burping, heartburn, and an unpleasant aftertaste.

People see that fish oil improves survival after a heart attack so they assume it should also help prevent heart disease in people who don’t yet have it. That does not necessarily follow: insulin improves survival of diabetics, but that doesn’t mean healthy people should take insulin to prevent diabetes.

A 2006 review article in The Medical Letter concluded, “Eating fatty fish may be beneficial for healthy people, but there is no evidence from prospective trials that fish oil supplements prevent cardiovascular disease in the general population.”
quote:
Originally posted by Cookey:
As many of you know, I'm not one to trample on anyone's widely held, cherished beliefs but I will say that there is new data on this subject that is contrary to what some of you seem to accept as fact. Wink

Link

Fish Oil – Better Left in the Fish?

Everybody knows fish oil is good for you. It’s one of the most popular diet supplements, and even the FDA allows claims that it can help prevent heart attacks. It has been claimed to help everything from schizophrenia to psoriasis. Here are the only claims that are supported by good quality evidence:

1. In patients who have had a heart attack, fish oil improves survival.
2. It reduces triglycerides.
3. In patients with high cholesterol levels it reduces the risk of coronary events but does not decrease mortality.
4. It reduces blood pressure slightly.

There are some concerns. In the DART 2 trial of men with chronic coronary disease (stable angina), it apparently increased the risk of death. In a study of patients who had an implanted cardioverter defibrillator, it increased the risk of arrhythmias. With higher doses, it can worsen control of diabetes and it can increase bleeding tendency. Side effects include burping, heartburn, and an unpleasant aftertaste.

People see that fish oil improves survival after a heart attack so they assume it should also help prevent heart disease in people who don’t yet have it. That does not necessarily follow: insulin improves survival of diabetics, but that doesn’t mean healthy people should take insulin to prevent diabetes.

A 2006 review article in The Medical Letter concluded, “Eating fatty fish may be beneficial for healthy people, but there is no evidence from prospective trials that fish oil supplements prevent cardiovascular disease in the general population.”


thanks for the info cooky, i did have a heart attack and the fish oil has kept my triglycerides in check.
I was listening to a story this morning about the Sardine population has rebounded in the Pacific and they are making a comeback. It made note that they are high in the Omega3 fatty acids, and since they are on the bottom of the food chain do not accumulate a lot of the heavy metals that are prevalent in many larger fish.
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Originally posted by earthmomma:
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Originally posted by LMM:
Just this morning it was mentioned for help in slowing down the progression of macular degeneration in the eyes along with all the "B" vitamins.
My mother-in-law practically drank it She had both macular degeneration and Altzheimer disease(Ithink it is supposed to help it also.)


Did she by any chance smoke?
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Originally posted by PapaTim00:
quote:
Originally posted by Cookey:
A 2006 review article in The Medical Letter concluded, “Eating fatty fish may be beneficial for healthy people, but there is no evidence from prospective trials that fish oil supplements prevent cardiovascular disease in the general population.”[/i]


thanks for the info cooky, i did have a heart attack and the fish oil has kept my triglycerides in check.


You are most welcome! If you are following a doctor's orders then by all means listen to your doc.

However, there seems to be a tendency for all of us to latch on to whatever the latest fad is for supplements. For a long time, it was thought that supplements of antioxidants would reverse aging. That has been debunked Link

For a while, we thought that taking glucosamine and chondroitin for knee/joint pain was a good thing until we found out it has absolutly no effect. Link

For a very long time, we were all told to take mega doses of vitamins for certain things until many studied were released showing that almost no one needs to take vitamins at all and, in fact, taking mega doses of certain vitamins can cause all sorts of nasty side effects. Link

My philosophy on all this (based on factual evidence and rational thinking) is to do as the cavemen did: Eat a diet or mostly fruits and veggies and the occasional red meat that you can throw on a fire pit. Eat lots of fish. Get plenty of exercise and have lots of sex with your mate for as long as you can.

Our bodies were engineered by nature over many millions of years for that lifestyle. When we screw that up by taking all these supplements and eating whateverthehell we want, we face all sorts of repercussions - not the least of which include fish breath. Wink

We all have The Google now. All of you should do yourself a favor and think critically about the pills you are putting in your mouth. Whatever the substance is, Google the name followed by "skeptic" and see what the "other side" has to say about this hooey and don't believe all the propaganda.
Last edited by Cookey
I saw a study on the Today Show last week that said a half a multi vitamin daily was all most adults needed.

I don't take vitamins, supplements, prescriptions of any kind. I'm in my early forties and healthy. I eat what I want, when I want. And I sit in the sun for hours a day. Ain't got no grays, no wrinkles, no aches or pains. I attribute it to being happy and doing all things in moderation.
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Originally posted by yankeegramma:
My heart Dr. has me taking 1000 mg. three times a day of Fish Oil.

BC, Kindred told me that Biotin was good for hair and nails. I have been taking 1000 mcg. five times a day for the last week and it seems to be helping my nails grow.I did ask my Dr. if it was O.K. first because they have me on so much other medication.


bc, i am sure this is true, as biotin is good for horses for regrowing hooves. hooves are made of the same stuff as hair. i have used a biotin supplement on my horses and have noticed an increased rate of hoof growth and improved haircoat as an added benefit.

every basement cat needs a shiny haircoat. Big Grin
Cool,Hoss!

My ferocious ankle biter has had coat and skin problems for years. At the suggestion from folks in the forum (and after researching the effectiveness of it) we started pouring a tablespoon of olive oil in her food with ever meal with vaguely positive results.

But this biotin appears to be quite effective according to this site:

Link

"In a collaborative study with small-animal veterinary surgeons, dogs with fur and skin conditions were treated with biotin (approximately 5 mg biotin/10 kg body weight/day) for 3 to 5 weeks. In total 119 cases could be treated which were reported to show symptoms such as dull coat, brittle hair, loss of hair, scaly skin, pruritus or dermatitis. Cases requiring other treatments with e.g. glucocorticoids, were excluded from the study. In 60% of the cases all symptoms were reported to be cured after the biotin treatment and in a further 31% an improvement was noted; in only 9% no effect was recorded. All breeds responded but to a variable extent: e.g. in Poodles the response was lower (no response in 6 out of 11 cases) than in Alsatians where all improved and 14 out of 29 were completely cured. (wow!) The results confirm the favourable effect of biotin for treatment of fur and skin conditions in dogs.:"

Just ordered some from my online provider. Thanks Hoss!

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