For years people have been told to stock up on omega-3, a fat which is present in fish, with claims it is good for the heart. However, a new medical review published in the UK has cast doubt on the reported benefits. June Davison from the British Heart Foundation responded by saying: “Guidelines remain the same. You should continue to eat oily fish once or twice a week as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

“It’s important to say that however much oily fish you eat it’s only one part of the bigger picture in reducing the risk of heart disease”. The doubt about omega-3 follows a review of 89 studies, published by the British Medical Journal. It shows there is no evidence of the fat’s health benefits. On the streets of London one woman said: “My daughter has now taken to eating mackerel which I’m pleased about and so we shall carry on.” Another man said: “If you think of the population of Japan and people who eat a lot of oily fish, they seem to live a lot longer, look a lot healthier and be less obese than we are.” Among the studies reviewed by British experts one even found that people given high amounts of oily fish were in fact more at risk of heart problems.

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