Health claims of fish oil supplements often vague and lack backing by trial data: JAMA

Researchers analyzed data from fish oil supplement labels obtained from the National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Label Database. Of the 2,819 labels studied, 2,082 (73.9%) made at least one health-related claim.

The majority of supplements with a label making a health claim (80.3%) used what is called a structure/function claim, which is intended to describe in broad terms the effect of the nutrient on a body system.

“Structure/function claims are allowed by the FDA, but they can be vague and misleading,” said Dr. Navar, a board-certified cardiologist. “And they are being made for fish oil for a broad number of organ systems, including for the heart, brain, joints, eyes, and immune system. Structure/function claims can include statements like ‘supports cognitive health’ or ‘supports healthy joints.’ Technically, these cannot be used to claim that the supplement treats or prevents disease, but we feel that this type of language can be very confusing to consumers who may be unaware these statements do not require support from randomized trials.”

Reference:

Assadourian JN, Peterson ED, McDonald SA, Gupta A, Navar AM. Health Claims and Doses of Fish Oil Supplements in the US. JAMA Cardiol. Published online August 23, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2023.2424.