European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 28, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Fish Oil floods America s drug Market by Daniel q. Haney associated press Rug companies in the United Stales Are going into the Oil business. Fish Oil that is. Within the Las few months the subject has Slid unctuous by from lha medical journals into network television ads. Suddenly fish Oil is hot. If the craze continues the Way the marketers Hope Lish Oil tablets will join Liber Calcium and All things natural on the National list of food obsessions fish Oil supplements have Long been available in american health food stores. But the business changed dramatically last fall when two big pharmaceutical firms Squibb and Warner Lambert began nationwide campaigns to put their new brands elfish Oil on everyone s dinner table. The advertising is sprinkled with caveats and stresses the importance of a Good diet. But it implies that people who Lake half a dozen or so fish Oil tablets each Day will reduce Ihal risk of heart disease. We believe it absolutely does Good says Marshall Molloy a Warner Lambert spokesman. There s no doubt in our minds about that. We think that it has been proved beyond a Shadow of a doubt but in the minds of Many experts in the need there is plenty of doubt fish Oil or Snake Oil asks or. Garrett a. Fizgerald of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Tenn. He like several other researchers says there is no evidence that Ordinary people will be any healthier for taking a daily dose of fish Oil. The american heart association has Long nagged americans to eat wisely to save their hearts. But it Loo is unconvinced about the Power of fish Oil the safety and elective Ness of fish Oil pills have not been Provon says the association s Howard Lewis. We Don t recommend that people supplement their diets with these preparations. We have suggested since 1961, and continue to suggest thai people get their fish Oil the old fashioned Way and that s by eating  though there is no hard evidence that longtime consumption of Lish Oil supplements is harmful the Issue has not been settled. In fact some of the same data used to Taud its Bene Lils can also be cited to raise concerns about its possible Side effects. But if it does t make people sicker it will make Herr a Little poorer. Or. Alexander Leaf of Massachusetts general Hospital notes that when bought by the tank Load fish Oil costs $300 a ton. When bought by the bottle it becomes Pound for Pound a whole lot More expensive. Prices vary depending on the Brand and Quantity purchased. But a single capsule generally costs Between 9 and 25 cents. That s roughly $81,000 to �224,000 per ton. The manufacturers recommend that people take two with each meal and that would Cost about $200 to $500 a year Leaf is among those who believe that fish Oil May have some role to play in preventing heart disease but he says that More research is clearly needed. The evidence is growing increasingly Strong he says that these substances probably Are going to have a beneficial effect on coronary artery disease those with a Strong family history of heart attacks or dangerously High blood Levels of fat and cholesterol might Benefit from the capsules he says but people should consult with their doctor before taking Lish Oil. And he adds i m not at a Point of recommending it for  not just any fish Oil is being proposed. Cod liver Oil for instance contains too much Vitamin a and d to be a practical source. The focus of the medical research is a variety called Omega-3 tally acids. This is a kind of Oil found most plentifully in oily cold water Ocean fish such As Salmon and Mackerel. The Lish Oil tablets contain 300 or 500 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty acids depending on the Brand. Scientists have Only recently taken an interest in the health effects of this substance. In one version of its ads aimed at physicians Warner Lambert backs up its claims by listing 48 scientific reports on the subject. Seven of those papers were co authored by or. William e. Connor of Oregon health sciences University one of America s leading researchers in the Young Field. He does t endorse the supplements. The Omega-3 fatty acids that one wants from the supplements Are contained in fish says Connor. And that would be the More logical Way to gel them for the average  another researcher listed in the add John a. It Onset of the University of Washington is also dubious. I believe we ought to know More about what we Are doing before we charge out and give people supplements. What we know about these fatty acids is so  what the scientists know about them comes from comparisons of Large groups Utah Oil or Snake Oil there s plenty of doubt whether it does you any Good. Of people with different diets As Well As experiments with people and animals. This work adds up to an impressive circumstantial Case that something in fish is Good for people s hearts. Scientists say ii appears that fish protects the heart by lowering the High Levels of blood fal that cause hardening of the arteries and by making blood slower to Ciot. What s still not Clear though is whether Omaga-3 ally acids alone Wilt do the trick and even if they do How much people need to take. One of the Glrst indications of fish s benefits came from comparison studies of Greenland eskimos and european Danes. Researchers noticed that the eskimos had striking to less heart disease. Of course there Are Many differences in the living habits of eskimos and europeans but scientists eventually concentrated on the Large amounts of fish in the Eskimo diet As a possible explanation. Although eskimos Are featured in some of the Lish Oil ads people who take the supplements won t come close to getting As much of this nutrient As the average fish eating Eskimo. Vanderbilt s Fitzgerald said people would have to take so tablets a Day something the drug companies certainly Don l suggest to match the Eskimo diet. Fitzgerald also notes that the eskimos have a higher than usual risk of stroke. Is Lish Oil the reason no one knows. But Fitzgerald says the very same sets of data that show the incidence of myocardial infarction heart attack in Greenland eskimos is lower than that in european Danes show that the incidence of stroke is  More evidence in favor of fish Oil comes from comparisons of fish eaters and fish haters living in the same culture. These studies Are not unanimous but one published two years ago suggested thai eating fish once or twice a week will help Ward off heart disease. However what these people Aren t eating May be As important As what they Are. Folks who consume lots of fish Are also going to be eating Little meal. Cutting out this source of saturated fat could play an important Rote in keeping them healthy. It so taking Lish oils with a Sleak dinner May not do much Good. Scientists have also found that Large daily doses of fish Oil will lower blood fat and cholesterol Levels in people with seriously elevated Levels of these substances a condition called hyper Pidemia now they Are trying to see if smaller doses will also work. But this still won t sol he the question of whether a few capsules a Day will help people with Normal Levels of lat and Chole Leroi. Because the u s food and drug administration considers Lish Oil to be a food not a drug to has not tried to control advertising claims and lots of americans seem willing to believe that the capsules Are Good Lor them officials of both Warner Lambert and Squibb say that Lish Oil sales Are Busk. It s the kind of Panacea that appeals to All of us says Fitzgerald we keep smoking and drinking and overeating but As Long As we Lake those things we think that we arc going to be All  saturday March 28, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 17