The health benefits of eating fish have been overstated, according to Canadian researchers who conducted an analysis of available scientific data, the Globe and Mail reported.
Fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, a nutrient touted to help protect cardiovascular health. There's also widespread interest in the use of the oils for a number of other conditions, including dementia, cancer, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease.
But analysis lead author David Jenkins, a nutrition professor at the University of Toronto, said studies showing better heart health among people who eat fish regularly could be tilted by other factors. For example, people who eat fish generally have healthier lifestyles than other people.
Jenkins noted that vegetarians don't appear to have a higher risk of heart disease, even though don't consume animal proteins, the Globe and Mail reported.
The analysis was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.