关于鱼油的真相

关于鱼油的真相

In the United States, sales of fish oil, commonly sold as the nutritional supplement omega-3 fatty acids, reached $2.25 billion in 2014. Touted for its ability to do just about everything but leap tall buildings, fish oil has become one of the trendiest supplements out there. It's the third most widely used dietary supplement, after vitamins and minerals.

在美国，鱼油的销售额在2014年达到22.5亿美元，鱼油通常作为营养补充品-3脂肪酸出售。鱼油因其除了能飞跃高楼大厦外几乎无所不能而备受吹捧，如今它已成为最时髦的补充剂之一。它是第三大最广泛使用的膳食补充剂，仅次于维生素和矿物质。

Are these capsules full of amazing cures and treatments or are they just a version of modern-day snake oil? (Photo: R_Szatkowski/Shutterstock)

In fact, a Denmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that pregnant women who took fish oil during the last trimester significantly lowered their child's risk of asthma. Researchers studied children whose mothers took fish oil supplements and found only 16.9 percent had asthma by age 3, compared with 23.7 percent whose mothers took placebos. That's a reduction of about 31 percent.

事实上，发表在《新英格兰医学杂志》(New England Journal of Medicine)上的一项丹麦研究发现，妊娠晚期服用鱼油的孕妇明显降低了孩子患哮喘的风险。研究人员研究了母亲服用鱼油补充剂的孩子，发现只有16.9%的孩子在3岁前患有哮喘，而母亲服用安慰剂的孩子只有23.7%。这大约减少了31%。

Although there is evidence that fish oil is helpful in treating some conditions, there is much more about the oil that can’t be proven. Fish oil comes with a disconcerting list of potential toxins, side effects and sustainability issues.

尽管有证据表明鱼油对治疗某些疾病有帮助，但还有很多关于鱼油的信息无法得到证实。鱼油含有一系列令人不安的潜在毒素、副作用和可持续性问题。

A fat lot of good: Omega-3 fatty acids

脂肪很多好处:-3脂肪酸

Over the past few decades, study after study has linked consumption of omega-3s with a number of health benefits, most notably those involving heart health, inflammation, and vision and cognitive issues. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that omega-3 fatty acids reduce pain and swelling. These fatty acids also prevent the blood from clotting easily, which might make fish oil helpful for heart conditions. NIH goes on to list one condition for which fish oil is “effective for” (high triglycerides), one condition for which fish oil is “likely effective for” (heart disease), and 26 conditions for which omega-3s may be “possibly effective for” (everything from stroke to cancer to psychosis).

在过去的几十年里，一项又一项的研究将-3脂肪酸的摄入与许多健康益处联系起来，其中最显著的益处涉及心脏健康、炎症、视力和认知问题。美国国立卫生研究院(NIH)指出-3脂肪酸可以减轻疼痛和肿胀。这些脂肪酸还可以防止血液凝结，这可能会使鱼油有助于改善心脏状况。NIH还列出了一种鱼油“对”(高甘油三酯)“有效”的情况，一种鱼油“可能对”(心脏病)“有效”的情况，以及26种omega-3“可能对”(从中风、癌症到精神病)“有效”的情况。

The science is murky

科学是模糊的

There has been supportive evidence from numerous studies suggesting that the consumption of recommended amounts of DHA and EPA in the form of dietary fish or fish oil supplements lowers triglycerides; reduces the risk of death, heart attack, dangerous abnormal heart rhythms, and strokes in people with known cardiovascular disease.

大量研究提供了支持证据，表明以膳食鱼类或鱼油补充剂的形式摄入推荐量的DHA和EPA可降低甘油三酯;降低已知心血管疾病患者的死亡、心脏病发作、危险的心律异常和中风的风险。

The history of fish oil fandom

鱼油迷的历史

An Inuit fisherman snacks on freshly caught halibut in Greenland. (Photo: STR)

In the 1970s, Danish scientists Dr. Hans Olaf Bang and Dr. Jorn Dyerberg, studied Inuits living in remote villages in northern Greenland. These villagers had remarkably low levels of cardiovascular disease and the scientists concluded their heart health was due to their diet. The Inuits ate lots of fish, seal and whale blubber. The researchers suggested that everyone could benefit from the omega-3-heavy fishy diet.

20世纪70年代，丹麦科学家Hans Olaf Bang博士和Jorn Dyerberg博士研究了居住在格陵兰北部偏远村庄的因纽特人。这些村民的心血管疾病水平非常低，科学家们得出结论，他们的心脏健康是由饮食决定的。因纽特人吃了很多鱼、海豹和鲸脂。研究人员建议，每个人都可以从富含-3脂肪酸的鱼类饮食中受益。

Toxins can be a problem

毒素可能是个问题

Although the good omega-3s reside in the fatty tissue of fish, that is also the very place where environmental contaminates bioaccumulate, which means that oil derived from these tissues may contain high concentrations of environmental contaminants.

虽然好的-3脂肪酸存在于鱼类的脂肪组织中，但那里也是环境污染生物聚集的地方，这意味着从这些组织中提取的油可能含有高浓度的环境污染物。

Fish oil is served with a side of side effects

鱼油也有副作用

Taking fish oil supplements with meals may help prevent side effects, such as constipation or nausea. (Photo: Syda Productions/Shutterstock)

Patients with asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, or liver disease, and patients at risk for colon cancer should use cautiously, based on potential adverse effects associated with fish oil use.

考虑到使用鱼油可能产生的副作用，哮喘、炎症性肠病或肝病患者以及有结肠癌风险的患者应谨慎使用。

There are sustainability issues

还有可持续性的问题

An Omega Protein fisherman looks down at a school of menhaden fish caught in the net below, off the coast of Smith Island in Virginia. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission sets the Menhaden catch limit per year. (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

The best and most-commonly used sources for the pills we pop are oily fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines to name a few; many environmentalists fear that some species are being overfished for this purpose. We may have an endless appetite for fish oil, but we don’t have an endless supply of fish.

最好的和最常用的药丸来源是油性鱼类，如鲑鱼，鲭鱼和沙丁鱼等;许多环保人士担心，为了这个目的，有些物种正被过度捕捞。我们可能对鱼油有着无穷无尽的需求，但我们并没有无穷无尽的鱼类供应。