Fish oil may help to lose weight

Scientists said that fish oil containing Omega 3 fatty acids, plus a little exercise, helped overweight people to shed pounds - even if their diet remained unchanged, Scotsman reports.

Photo: Fish oil may help to lose weight

“The omega-3 found in fish oil increases fat-burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles during exercise," university researcher Alison Hill told Reuters.

The university's study monitored 68 overweight and obese people, divided into four groups, over three months.

One group took small daily doses of fish oil and another was given sunflower oil with no other alteration to their normal diet. Both groups undertook moderate exercise programs of a 45-minute walk or run three times a week. Another two groups received either fish oil or sunflower oil but did no exercise.

The study found that those who took the fish oil doses and exercised lost an average of 2 kg (4.5 lb.) over the three months.

The groups that took sunflower oil, which does not contain omega-3 fatty acids, and exercised did not lose any weight. The two groups that did not exercise also lost no weight, the study found, Reuters reports.