Can fish oils really help weight-loss? 

Exercise plus fish oils can help you to lose weight without changing your diet too much. That, at least, appears to be the message of a study of 68 overweight and obese people at the University of South Australia.

The study suggests that daily doses of fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acids helped obese people burn off excess weight. The exercise was not difficult: a 45-minute walk or run three times a week.

'The omega-3 found in fish oil increases fat-burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles during exercise', researcher Alison Hill told Reuters. 'We were very surprised to see it was so effective, especially since these people were still eating whatever they wanted.'

The study involved four groups. One took small daily doses of fish oil and also exercised. Another was given sunflower oil and also exercised. A third took fish oil but did no exercise while the fourth took sunflower oil but no exercise.

Only one group lost weight. Those who took the fish oil doses and exercised lost an average of 2 kg (4.5 lb.) over the three months.

A six-year study by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found last year that omega-3 fatty acids helped boost brain functioning as well as cut the risk of stroke. It also helped protect the brain as people age, the Chicago study found.

Hill said future studies were planned that would take place over longer periods and with increased exercise.

Is there anything in this? Malehealth are very sceptical about miracle diets and remember this was a study of obese people so if you're only a little overweight, the impact might not be so impressive. On the other had, fish-oil probably won't do you any harm. Most western diets don't contain a lot of omega-3 because hydrogenation, the process used to give foods a longer shelf life, removes it.