Doctor explains who really needs omega-3 supplements

A supplement not for everyone

Omega-3 is often seen as a must-have supplement for the heart, brain and immunity,but there is no universal need to take it in capsules, gastroenterologist Yevgeny Belousov of AO Meditsina (the Roitberg Academic Clinic) told Gazeta.Ru. According to him, the main mistake is treating omega-3 as a cure for everything: the benefits of fatty acids are proven, but what matters is where a person gets them from and in what situation they use them. EPA and DHA, abundant in fatty fish, do indeed play a role in the work of the heart, blood vessels, brain and other organs, but for healthy people without specific indications there are no compelling grounds for taking supplements daily instead of a proper diet.

Food instead of capsules

The specialist named food as the best source of omega-3: fatty fish — salmon, herring, mackerel or sardines — should reasonably be included in the diet several times a week. Flaxseed oil and seeds contain a different form of the acid, alpha-linolenic (ALA), which the body can only partially convert into EPA and DHA, so flaxseed oil cannot fully replace fish, the doctor noted.

When a supplement is justified

According to Belousov, an omega-3 deficiency in an ordinary person does not always mean they urgently need capsules, and there is no single universal test to take before starting preventive supplementation. If a person eats fish, eats well and has no specific indications, there is usually no need to start taking it just in case: a supplement should serve a specific purpose, not be a mandatory item in the medicine cabinet. Earlier, as the outlet notes, a pediatrician explained whether children should be given fish oil. From a practical standpoint, these recommendations mean that the decision to take omega-3 should be made not on the general principle that