What are the hidden costs of our obsession with fish oil supplements?

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.2 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2022

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

They may be one of the world’s favourite supplements but, according to a recent study, more than one in 10 fish oil capsules are rancid. Most of the oil comes from Peruvian anchovetas, a type of anchovy, which is also used to feed pigs, poultry and farmed fish. And despite catching more than 4m tonnes a year of Peruvian anchovetas to cater to the global demand, large industry players want to scale this up even further. Madeleine Finlay speaks to environment journalist Richa Syal about why so many fish oil pills are rancid, and hears from journalist Dan Collyns in Chimbote, Peru, about how the industry is affecting the local environment and its residents. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Guardian. They're one of the world's most popular dietary supplements.
0:16.2	Said by some at least, to be good for your eyes, skin, heart and brain.
0:22.3	Americans spend over $1.2 billion. skin, heart, and brain.
0:22.6	Americans spend over 1.2 billion dollars a year on these supplements in hopes of protecting
0:27.4	their heart, boosting their brain, and achieving more youthful skin.
0:31.3	What am I talking about? Omega-3 supplements, specifically fish oil.
0:36.0	Fish oil capsules, filled with omega-3 fatty acids, are supposed to be a handy alternative for people who don't really like eating fish.
0:47.0	But behind these wondrous health claims, there's a billion dollar industry mining one of the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth.
0:58.0	Four million tons of Peruvian anchovies, a type of anchovy, are caught every year to feed
1:06.6	pigs, poultry, farmed fish and to create supplements for us.
1:14.0	Unsurprisingly, this is often done in a way that's damaging to people and the environment.
1:20.0	Haveur Castro is a union. He's a new public.
1:27.0	Havir Castro is a union leader who represents Peruvian fishermen. He gets melancholic when he overlooks the Bay of Timbote,
1:31.0	Peru's main fishing port. And on top of all that, the supplements we take are
1:39.6	often rancid. Yes, rancid.
1:45.0	Ooh.
1:47.0	What?
1:48.0	That doesn't smell good.
1:49.0	That's, that smells like it's going bad.
1:51.0	Yeah, right.
1:52.0	Yeah.
1:53.0	Yeah.
	...

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