Major Scientific Review: Eating Fish May Be Unhealthy

A major review of the 89 best studies between 2002 and 2006—published in the March 24, 2006, issue of the British Medical Journal—finds that there is no evidence of health benefits from eating oily fish or taking fish oil supplements. Researchers from nine institutions analyzed the 89 most rigorous studies that looked at the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on various health issues. Researchers said that they found no strong evidence that fish consumption had an effect on overall deaths or the prevention of heart disease, cancer, or strokes. Mike Knapton, a director at the British Heart Foundation, even noted that “some studies have shown a slightly increased risk associated with eating very high amounts of oily fish, which is possibly related to mercury levels.” The magazine New Scientist summarized the review: “An analysis of studies found little evidence that fish oil supplements cut the risk of heart problems and even suggests that they could increase risk of heart attack in men with angina.”

Although the study's authors did not find the expected increase in cancer rates as a result of eating fish, the authors suggested that the harm from “[t]oxic compounds, such as fat-soluble methylmercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls … found in oily fish and fish oils … would be seen only after long-term [consumption].” They wrote that the “dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls increase the risk of cancer” and that the mercury in fish “may increase the risk of myocardial infarction and cause neurological damage.” Most concerning, the authors wrote that “harmful effects of methylmercury could be cumulative.”

Learn more about the health effects of the toxins in fish flesh.

Read the British Medical Journal study.

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