The Fish Oil Myth

Fish oil is not good for young brain development, contrary to popular belief

The Fish Oil Myth has spread throughout the world like a virus. Parents are popping Fish Oil Capsules in their trolleys, thinking their kid’s brain development will benefit. Fish Oil companies invested in marketing their products in this new, exciting way and the gullible public swallowed them up (literally), but some smart people started scratching their heads.

What’s the first thing smart people do? Look for the research. Look for the tests. That’s exactly what Dr. Ben Goldacre did, author of Bad Science (a book debunking lies like this). He writes about the Durham Trials.

The media-hyped Durham trials in England were tests to determine if Fish Oils are beneficial to young people’s performance in school. No control was used and the experiment design was so poor, they were forced to remove the word ‘trials’ from their website. Basically, the results are what you’d expect from a biased test — inconclusive.

However, the media used their power and influence to broadcast this lie around the world. That, my friends, is why consumers need to be vigilant. The wording on your Fish Oil box is so precisely tuned as to dodge the laws of false advertising. If you look and analyze the words, and then look to the research, technically they are not lying. These highlighted claims catch parents attention and more than that- compulse people to grab the ‘magical pills’ straight away.

As Dr. Ben Goldacre says: ‘ …for many problems the cure will never be found in a pill.’

This is a problem that Goldacre addresses in his book. Pills as the easy option and substitutes for time consuming, often difficult programmes or lifestyles.

A student’s grades are based on the quality of the school, teachers, the inherited intelligence of the student and of course the work the put in. However, that dosn’t make for a very catchy advertisement campaign, does it? No. People want these new, ‘tested’ pills sold by people that use big, science buzz words.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of questioning the so called ‘facts’ that the big corporations are throwing at you these days. Be ever vigilant and know that they’re driven my misleading advertising. Don’t be mislead.

Check out my new collection Destroying Health Myths, help me extinguish the flames of myth and spread a glorious blaze of truth.