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Vitamin D And Fish Oil Supplements Disappoint In Long-Awaited Study Results

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Posted 11/10/2018 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/11/10/666545527/vitamin-d-and-fish-oil-supplements-disappoint-in-long-awaited-study-results

“"Overall, they showed that neither fish oil nor vitamin D actually lowered the incidence of heart disease or cancer," Fine says.

The results were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago and released online Saturday by the New England Journal of Medicine. One paper focused on vitamin D supplementation and the other focused on fish oil.

The trials involved nearly 26,000 healthy adults age 50 and older with no history of cancer or heart disease who took part in the VITAL research project. Twenty percent of the participants were African-American.

This was a large scale randomized trial funded by the NIH
Posted 11/11/2018 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not surprised.
Posted 11/11/2018 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
I quit fish oil after the 2012 study suggested it might actually be harmful. I also chose not to get on the Vitamin D bandwagon - though I do still take a multivitamin (though I doubt anyone benefits other than the drug store) that includes vitamin D. Even so, my primary care doctor wasn't happy when I told him I'd stopped fish oil. And my former radiation oncologist wasn't happy when I told him I wasn't taking Vitamin D. My MO hasn't suggested any supplements and in fact was pleased when he reviewed my medications and saw I was taking only 20 mg lovastatin and a multivitamin.
Jim
Posted 11/11/2018 1:50 AM (GMT 0)
Now let's see....I have at one time or another taken
1. vitamin E
2. selenium
3. lycopene
4. pomegranate
5. vitamin D
6. beta carotene
7. vitamin C
8. fish oil
9. and more

Each one looked good during cohort studies suggesting benefit; all fell short when under the scrutiny of a random controlled study. You would think it would sink in after awhile!

Paul
Posted 11/11/2018 2:45 AM (GMT 0)
I took a bunch of things while being treated and for a few years afterwards and I have no regrets. I am still alive. and make no mistake about it: it's the survivors who complain about overtreatment; not the guys fighting for their lives.
Posted 11/11/2018 3:28 AM (GMT 0)
I also stopped taking fish oil in 2012, although the Urologist I was seeing at the time told me the study was flawed. Tewari, my surgeon, recently told me to stay away from it, and when I relayed that to my PCP, after he suggested I restarted, he didn’t push back at all.

I do take 5000 iu’s Vitamin D3, as I have a deficiency. With the 5000 iu’s a day, my D is smack in the middle of the normal ref range.
Other than D and Magnesium (which I was also deficient in), I cut out all other vitamins and supplements
Posted 11/11/2018 3:40 AM (GMT 0)
I take D also because my levels are low, which is common as we get older.
Posted 11/11/2018 5:22 AM (GMT 0)
I just had my D levels tested. My 1000 units day is keeping the levels normal.
Posted 11/11/2018 5:28 AM (GMT 0)
I had a 4x bypass over a decade ago. Heart's doing great. Going on my 3rd RALP anniversary. Last PSA was .01 and falling. Been taking 4000 units of D3 for the last 2 years. Last test measured about 40 - a sweet spot. Might even bump the D3 up another 1000 units in the future. Take fish oil, Resveratrol, tumeric, capsaicin powder and eat lots of pomegranate. Will continue to do so as long as I remain above soil now that I know it won't kill me and might contribute to my longevity. I'm just grateful I live in America and have the right to choose and do it my way, good or bad.
Posted 11/11/2018 12:03 PM (GMT 0)
Coincidentally, I had just watched the "NBC Nightly News" where a feature story presented the opposite headline from this very same study. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/drug-fish-oil-cuts-risk-heart-attack-stroke-study-finds-n934701

"I think we’ve stumbled onto something here in terms of a new class of drugs,” said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and executive director of interventional cardiovascular programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Honestly, I think it’s as exciting as the statin era, when statins were first becoming available and we were learning about all the things that they can do. I view this as a similar sort of breakthrough"

There were multiple conclusions from the study and I guess the "headline" depends on the perspective of who is reporting it...(NPR vs. NBC in this case).

Jim
Posted 11/11/2018 12:12 PM (GMT 0)
In other words, we've come across evidence that some things help some people, those same things have no effect on some other people, and those things occasionally harm a few people. Par for the course.
Posted 11/11/2018 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
The study did say, "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. "

The study also stated that both vitamin D and fish oil are important nutrients. I live in a Northern climate where I don't get a lot of sunshine in the winter, so I will continue with vitamin D supplements.
Posted 11/11/2018 2:00 PM (GMT 0)

Tudpock18 said...
Coincidentally, I had just watched the "NBC Nightly News" where a feature story presented the opposite headline from this very same study. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/drug-fish-oil-cuts-risk-heart-attack-stroke-study-finds-n934701

"I think we’ve stumbled onto something here in terms of a new class of drugs,” said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and executive director of interventional cardiovascular programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Honestly, I think it’s as exciting as the statin era, when statins were first becoming available and we were learning about all the things that they can do. I view this as a similar sort of breakthrough"

There were multiple conclusions from the study and I guess the "headline" depends on the perspective of who is reporting it...(NPR vs. NBC in this case).

Jim

Jim, this is not the same study as the one I quoted in the original post. This one was sponsored by Amirin, the maker of Vescepa, a new drug to lower triglycerides. The one I quoted was a larger study, sponsored by the NIH. Although the fish oil used in that study was Lovaza, another form of purified fish oil omega 3, that was supplied by the manufacturer (don’t recall the name.
Posted 11/11/2018 2:32 PM (GMT 0)

Pratoman said...

Tudpock18 said...
Coincidentally, I had just watched the "NBC Nightly News" where a feature story presented the opposite headline from this very same study. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/drug-fish-oil-cuts-risk-heart-attack-stroke-study-finds-n934701

"I think we’ve stumbled onto something here in terms of a new class of drugs,” said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and executive director of interventional cardiovascular programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Honestly, I think it’s as exciting as the statin era, when statins were first becoming available and we were learning about all the things that they can do. I view this as a similar sort of breakthrough"

There were multiple conclusions from the study and I guess the "headline" depends on the perspective of who is reporting it...(NPR vs. NBC in this case).

Jim

Jim, this is not the same study as the one I quoted in the original post. This one was sponsored by Amirin, the maker of Vescepa, a new drug to lower triglycerides. The one I quoted was a larger study, sponsored by the NIH. Although the fish oil used in that study was Lovaza, another form of purified fish oil omega 3, that was supplied by the manufacturer (don’t recall the name.

Yes, I see that now. There were two studies both presented at the same meeting -- one disputed the effectiveness of fish oil (which was highlighted by NPR) and the other promoted the effectiveness of fish oil (albeit in prescription drug form and was highlighted by NBC). And people wonder why we mere mortals are skeptical about the results of "studies"...

Jim
Posted 11/11/2018 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
Actually both studies agreed that fish oil reduced the risk of heart attack.
Posted 11/11/2018 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
Seriously, just gotta go with our guts. Sad but true.
I find it interesting that the study that showed the EFFECTIVENESS of omega 3 was the one funded by the manufacturer of the drug, not that I’m skeptical or anything😂
Posted 11/11/2018 3:52 PM (GMT 0)

Pratoman said...
Seriously, just gotta go with our guts. Sad but true.
I find it interesting that the study that showed the EFFECTIVENESS of omega 3 was the one funded by the manufacturer of the drug, not that I’m skeptical or anything😂

Yes, and that the effective one is only available by prescription at $278 per month! Totally coincidental I'm sure....HAHAHAHA

Jim
Posted 11/11/2018 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
As was pointed out above, the article says there was a reduction in risk of heart attack. It was a 28% reduction overall and 77% for blacks. It also said that the supplements were most effective for those who normally don't eat fish. This suggests a threshold effect.

Once again the article doesn't break down the groups into cohorts. I'd like to know the effect on those with hypertension and high LDL. After all, I have neither and don't have worry; but I do love fatty fish, anyway. I also take a calcium (plus D) for bone health.
Posted 11/11/2018 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
The issue with fish oil and the reason I stopped taking it after the 2012 study wasn't heart related, it was that it seemed to be associated with increased risk of prostate cancer. Given I already had PCa and so far have good heart health it seemed prudent to stop taking it.

Jim
Posted 11/11/2018 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
I struggle with the fish oil/high cholesterol issue because my natural cholesterol is high, and I did try the dietary changes generally suggested, with minimal effect. I've been on statins for years, and I also take fish oil. As such, I probably have familial high cholesterol--with the unusual familial pattern of very little heart/circulatory disease to go with it. Yes, there have been heart attacks and strokes in my family history--but usually at advanced age.
Posted 11/11/2018 5:39 PM (GMT 0)
So, if you take fish oil do you end up smelling like fish? 🙂

I’ve never taken it, and I suppose I won’t start.
Posted 11/11/2018 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
I hear ya, Jim. It clearly an individual thing. If it feeds the cancer, for you (and perhaps the rest of us) it's imprudent.

My doctors over the decades tended to be down on supplements. I did have one fanatical doctor who thought everyone should be eating a vegan diet. I tired of him quickly.

Halbert, fortunately my cholesterol is amenable to diet enough to keep it reasonable. My father, who had high blood pressure, had several heart attacks before the fatal one in his late 70s. So I'm never complacent.
Posted 11/11/2018 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
"So, if you take fish oil do you end up smelling like fish? 🙂'

your poop does. actually pretty gross, imo
Posted 11/11/2018 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
Occasionally a hiccup or burp after taking the capsule will leave the fishy oil taste in my mouth.
Posted 11/11/2018 11:11 PM (GMT 0)
Dr. Lam has me on D3 2000IU daily for BONE HEALTH ONLY

Mel
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