Traditionally, it’s been the nutritional supplement par excellence. Touted for its ability to do just about everything, fish oil is the third most widely used dietary supplement, after vitamins and minerals.

According to experts, fish oil helps with heart disease, stroke, psychosis, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, painful periods, high blood pressure in pregnancy, diabetes, asthma, developmental coordination disorders, movement disorders, dyslexia, obesity, kidney disease, osteoporosis, certain diseases related to pain and swelling, psoriasis, can prevent high blood pressure and kidney damage, and help the heart recover after a heart attack.

At the same time there are studies that point out that fish oil doesn’t seem to be effective in the occurrence of coronary heart disease. Cognitive decline and depression, together with memory, don’t seem to be affected by fish oil pills.

Moreover, the good omega-3s contained in fish oil reside in the fatty tissue of fish, that is also the very place where environmental contaminates bioaccumulate, which means that oil derived from these tissues may contain high concentrations of environmental contaminants.

Dioxines and heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury come to us by way of industry and are not easily broken down, and thus end up throughout the environment at low levels, especially in fish. And fish oil. Adverse effects from ingesting heavy metals can include cognitive impairments, nervous system dysfunction, blindness, lack of coordination, deafness, development of certain cancers and liver and kidney damage.