Fish oil may not be as healthy as you think, says a study

Not long ago, fish oil was considered a magical ingredient that wiped off all ailments and diseases. Its superhero reputation has been hurt as a recent study suggests that it may not prove to be helpful to obese/overweight adolescents and young adults with uncontrolled asthma.

Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the study showed that that four grams of fish oil a day for six months did not improve asthma control, as measured by a standard asthma control questionnaire, breathing tests, urgent care visits, and severe asthma exacerbations.

"We don't know why asthma control in obese patients is more difficult, but there is growing evidence that obesity causes systemic inflammation," said lead author Jason E. Lang, Associate Professor at the Duke University in the US.

"Because the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have anti-inflammatory properties, we wanted to test whether fish oil would have therapeutic benefits for these patients," Lang added.
The team studied almost 100 overweight participants between the age of 12 to 25 and found that they had poor asthma control despite the fact they used a daily inhaled corticosteroid to control their asthma.

For every three participants assigned to take fish oil for 25 weeks, one was assigned to take the soy oil placebo.

Additionally, the team had also looked at if a variant in the gene ALOX5 had an effect on the findings. It is known that mutations in the gene can reduce responses to anti-leukotriene drugs.

Leukotrienes are inflammatory molecules that play a critical role in triggering asthma attacks.

However, the researchers pointed out that their research findings shouldn’t be taken as the gospel truth and acknowledged that larger doses of fish oil over a longer period of time may produce a different result.

New therapeutic interventions to reduce airway inflammation and facilitate improved asthma control are greatly needed, the team suggested.