Fish Oil: Increases Oxidative Stress and D...
bossmanglb
25 Mar 2016
Life-Long Fish Oil Ingestion Reduces Mice’s Life Expectancy by 14% And the Reason is an Increase in Oxidation…
Scienists investigated the effects of dietary fish oil on lifespan and on lipid composition and oxidative stress in plasma and liver in SAMP8 mice. Male mice were fed a fish oil diet (5% fish oil and 5% safflower oil) or a safflower oil diet (10% safflower oil) from 12 wk of age.
The SAMP8 mice fed fish oil did not have a longer maximum lifespan and had a shorter average lifespan than mice fed safflower oil. To examine the mechanism underlying these results, the effects on oxidative stress of long-term ingestion of fish oil were also examined.
SAMP8 mice fed fish oil for 28 wk showed strong oxidative stress that caused hyperoxidation of membrane phospholipids and a diminished antioxidant defense system due to a decrease in tocopherol compared with mice fed safflower oil.
Doesn't appear to be rodent specific. An increase in oxidative damage due to fish oil in humans has been demonstrated in the 1990s, already
Dorian Grey
25 Mar 2016
Cold blooded water dwelling creatures evolved utilizing a unique type of unsaturated fats & oils to survive in cold water and still be able to move. Their cold body temperatures and low iron physiology allow them to survive and thrive under this system.
Warm blooded land dwelling mammals evolved utilizing saturated fats and oils to reduce oxidation at the higher body temperatures and high iron physiology these creatures function with, allowing them to survive and thrive under their own system.
The innovation and simplicity of nature is a wonder to behold indeed, and I choose not to attempt to turn this upside-down by displacing my naturally occurring saturated fat through un-natural consumption of large amounts of fish oils.
Edited by synesthesia, 25 March 2016 - 06:28 PM.
adamh
25 Mar 2016
The study has little relevance to humans. First of all "senescence-accelerated mice."
Secondly, they ate 5% of their diet in fish oil which is a huge amount, equal to maybe 125 - 150gm of fish oil per day in human diet. Then there was the 5% safflower oil which may have played a role. There have already been reports of excessive fish oil consumption being detrimental so this is nothing new. I will keep on taking a 1gm capsule per day, many studies have shown benefit from reasonable fish oil intake.
stefan_001
25 Mar 2016
joelcairo
25 Mar 2016
Well the initial study used aging-accelerated mice, so it would be worth knowing why they die quickly and how exactly oxidative stress may have contributed to this. Also it may well be that if you consume a lot of fish or fish oil that you should take a vitamin E spectrum supplement as well. There's a vast literature showing omega-threes and fish in general to be healthy, so it would take a lot of strong evidence to convince me to abandon it in favor of beef or chicken say.
