A new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has recently found out that fish oil capsules cannot actually help in the process of weight loss. If you are already on a diet and undergoing a series of exercise, taking capsules rich in fish oil will not boost weight loss.

According to Laura F. DeFina who is a doctor at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, she and her colleagues were able to find out that those people who took omega-3 fatty acids did seem to lose weight as compared to those who took placebo capsules. The capsules were administered together with proper diet and exercise.

DeFina and her team were able to find mixed results. There are, however, some evidences from studies done in animals that omega-3 fatty acids can actually help in promoting weight loss. Because of this, DeFina and her team assumed that the use of omega-3 fatty acids is effective for people who want to lose weight. Omega-3 has a lot of potential health benefits which include cutting down of cholesterol, reducing blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity.

The researchers chose 128 sedentary overweight or obese men and women and asked them to take five fish oil capsules in a day for 24 weeks. The fish oil capsules contained 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. Another group was given placebo capsules instead. The participants were also asked to do some exercises at least twice in a week.

The researchers found out at the end of the study that those people in the omega-3 group lost 5.2 kilograms while those who took placebo capsules lost 5.8 kilograms. This, however, was not statistically significant.

It was concluded that there was actually no significant different between the two groups when it comes to measuring risks in heart disease, cholesterol level and blood pressure. The good thing about omega-3 is that it helps by giving positive cardiovascular effects. The researchers said, “The protective cardiovascular effect should still be realized because of the sheer increase in blood concentrations of the fatty acids.”