text_1: Fish Oil Has Benefits After a Heart Attack: Study
text_2: In a randomized controlled trial studying fish oil versus placebo, a very modest improvement in heart health markers was observed in people prescribed fish oil. This TIME article demonstrates a good understanding of the study’s novelty, which appears to be among the first to look at potential benefits of fish oil in patients who have just had a heart attack. However, the story missed the mark in several ways: It didn’t mention the potential harms of taking fish oil if you’re a post-heart attack patient, nor did it discuss costs of the intervention. The only person quoted is the lead researcher of the study–an independent source was needed. Lastly, several limitations of the study are not discussed, including that many patients did not return for post-treatment follow-up. Fish oil is a widely used health supplement. Notwithstanding dozens of rigorous studies that cast doubt on its actual health benefits, the popularity of fish oil supplements remains unabated. Most studies have looked at the preventive benefits of fish oil in high-risk populations. The study reported here, on the other hand, examines the protective benefits of fish oil in patients right after a heart attack. The results suggest that high doses of fish oil after a heart attack may have modest benefits, based on measurements of things like scarring and heart function, which are surrogate markers. News coverage ideally points out this fact–that these markers can’t tell us if fish oil actually reduces the risk of a repeat heart attack, death or other cardiac event.