Fish Oil Supplements Don't Prevent Heart Attacks, Study Says

Taking fish oil pills rich in omega-3 fatty acids doesn’t appear to have a significant effect on heart attacks, strokes or death, a study published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association finds.

The news comes even as sales of fish oil supplements are booming. In 2011 Americans spent $1.1 billion on them, up 5.4% from 2010, according to the Nutrition Business Journal.

The message Americans may not want to hear is that eating healthy foods, not taking pills, is what helps heart health, says Richard Karas, director of the preventive cardiology center at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.