No benefit found
Fish oil (omega-3) pills
omega-3 capsules. Fish oil & probiotics.
- Verdict
- No benefit foundIt was tested as a cancer remedy and didn't work.
- How sure
- Rung 4 · StrongAt least one large randomized trial, or very large consistent studies, on this exact question.
The rung shows how sure the science is, not how big the effect is. How to read these ratings
Cancers affected
All cancers combined
What the evidence shows
In VITAL, a randomized trial of 25,871 adults followed for about five years, 1 g of omega-3 a day didn't lower cancer. Researchers called the cancer results robustly negative.
What to do
Don't take fish oil to prevent cancer. Eating oily fish is rated separately in the food finder.
Sources
To take it to your doctor, print this page.
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Related
Every supplement we rated, or follow one cancer step by step: breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.