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Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

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Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#111
Sooooooo... I did a little bit of digging here.

3 studies:

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1st study about Vitamin D https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01169259

2nd study about fish oil with a low dose, 1 gram https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01169259

3rd study about a PROPRIETARY PRESCRIPTION variation of fish oil with a HIGH DOSE https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT01492361

Results:

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1st study - no effect.

2nd study - no effect.

3rd study - "REMARKABLE degree of risk reduction".

The researchers are different but the HOSPITAL that conducted them is the same.

The HOSPITAL posted about BOTH studies at the same time (today): https://www.brighamandwomens.org/about-bwh/newsroom/press-re... https://www.brighamandwomens.org/about-bwh/newsroom/press-re...

IMHO, something smells a little bit ... FISHY in here LOL.

Amarin is a one-product medical "startup" trying to show that their fish oil variation works. Oh, they are also publicly traded. Their stock went up after this announcement. It has also 10x-ed this year. They are also trying to convince the FDA that it "works".

My opinion? Total fraudsters.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#112
post #102
post #43

So wait, what is disappointing about this: "Taking fish oil lowered the risk of heart attack by about 28 percent, which is a "statistically significant" finding, says Dr. JoAnn Manson, who is chief of the division of preventive medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She led the research." and "African-Americans in the study experienced a 77 percent lower risk of heart attack when compared to placebo,…

Yes, I don't understand why this is disappointing. The article also says there are no side effects. Even if there is 10% decrease, isn't it good?

If you read the editorial, the reason is that those were secondary endpoints (not what the trial set out to measure). The literature is filled with exciting secondary endpoint "discoveries" that turn out to be nonsignificant when they become primary endpoints in a study. Also, the data suggest that these secondary endpoints aren't to be trusted because findings don't match other studies.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#113
post #30

"At this point, if one is thinking about supplementation, either omega-3s or vitamin D, talking to your physician or healthcare provider is the next step" Does anyone actually talk to their doctor before taking a vitamin? What information could they possibly provide

I have a terrific new naturopathic doctor who actually cares about my health and will run blood panels frequently and let me know what lifestyle changes and supplements would help me. I never knew before that I was deficient in zinc. Before her though, most of my doctors were of the bland "if you aren't in extreme pain then it's not a problem" camp.

I've recently discovered that naturopaths actually go to med school and that a naturopaths has a license to practice medicine, which blows my mind. I always thought they were snake oil salesmen.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#114

In my opinion, the best benefit of fish oil and Omega threes and vitamin D are in combating depression. This article did not touch on that. There is pretty good evidence that fish oil is one of the best supplements for combating depression because it is used directly in construction of neurotransmitter pathways. I highly recommend reading Dr Mark Hyman's book the Ultramind Solution. It's loaded with great info regard…

Fairly recent Cochrane review concludes: > ... we do not have sufficient high quality evidence to determine the effects of [omega-3] as a treatment for [major depression]. Our primary analyses suggest a small-to-modest, non-clinically beneficial effect ... compared to placebo; however the estimate is imprecise, and we judged the quality of the evidence on which this result is based to be low/very low. https://www.coc…

Can you recommend any books similar to Ultramind Solution but with more helpful info, in your opinion?

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#116
post #108

"Fine and Manson stressed that vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are important nutrients, but the best way to get them is as part of a well-balanced diet. That includes eating fatty fish like sardines, tuna and salmon, and vitamin-D fortified cereals, milk, and orange juice." Ah, okay. So instead of taking supplemental Vitamin D, you should get it from natural sources, such as..... foods that ha…

I get your joke but the concern he expresses is only relevant to the Omega-3. In the case of vitamin D, outside of sunlight exposure, supplements are basically your only practical option. Furthermore, the foods mentioned often have it added (milk nearly always does) and so one would want to be aware of that before adding it further from another supplement.

At worst, the paragraph is just a poorly constructed catch all warning.

Bottom line is, get your Omega-3 from fish. Get your Vit D from the sun as much as you safely can and then from common sources before jumping to a separate supplement.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#117

Been taking 10k IU of D3 for a few months now, managed to get my measurement from the teens or 20s into the 90s of whatever unit that's in. I believe 100 is the max of the healthy range. Can't tell the difference, but allegedly you're going to feel "worse" if you're low on this stuff. It would be amusing to find out that it actually makes no difference at all and it's all placebo.

Are you taking it to prevent musculoskeletal disorders or cancer/heart disease? Works for the former

Immune system support.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#118

Study linked was not the biggest cardiovascular health news of today-- This was: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1812792 A single purified component of fish oil - EPA, did lead to a 25% relative risk reduction on top of statin treatment. This is a huge result with off the charts p values.

Yes, the fraud product from a one-product-wonder public company Amarin (NASDAQ: AMRN).

(see my comment below).

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#120
Dark-skinned office-working New Yorker here. Neglected blood tests for years. Took a significant other to realise that, every winter, I’d start eating tinned sardines by the caseload. Once I began supplementing, on doctor’s orders after a blood test, the cravings stopped. Guess what’s super-rich in Vitamin D?
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