Surprising Side Effects Of Fish Oil Supplements

Hearing the word "oil" associated with "fish" may conjure up dreams of your favorite fish and chips, but the fish oil in this case is the healthy kind. 

Fish oil supplements contain Omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital for our bodies. Omega-3 fatty acids help to manufacture hormones that regulate genetic and blood-related functions that may reduce the chance for heart attacks (via Harvard Health Publishing). Despite the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids, our bodies do not produce them organically, and so we get them from certain foods. This is why you may have heard people recommend salmon or sea bass.

While fish oil supplements help to bolster the production of Omega-3 fatty acids, they do have some side effects that you should be aware of before you consider adding them to your diet.

For one, some research has shown that fish oil supplements could cause bleeding (via the Journal of Trauma Nursing). So, if you have surgery coming up, you may want to hold off on taking fish oil supplements to avoid this possible side effect.

Consuming fish oil supplements — especially if you take more than what's recommended — can potentially cause other side effects that you should take into consideration (via Healthline).

If you take fish oils supplements, you may experience gastrointestinal issues, including nausea or diarrhea. It's possible to also have an allergic reaction to fish oil supplements. So, If you're allergic to shellfish, for example, you need to be extra careful. And fish being fish, fish oil is also going to have a distinctive odor. So there is a chance that when you take fish oil supplements, you may experience foul breath, or it could make your sweat smell bad (via Medical News Today).

As far as whether fish oil supplements truly have benefits in the first place, some medical experts think it may be a fish story. For one, studies as to whether or not fish oil supplements help your heart, show mixed results. And research is also unclear about whether or not fish oil supplements are helpful as a treatment for other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (via WebMD).

So, while there are potential issues with taking fish oil supplements, if you ultimately decide that you want to try them, consume them in the recommended dosage to minimize possible side effects and reap the benefits.