Rumour: Consuming more long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) will help with weight loss.
Fact: This is not true.
Although n-3 PUFAs were found to be an effective method to prevent obesity in rodents, the same cannot be said for humans. A recent study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, observed the lifestyle and diet of individuals over the course of 5 years, measuring changes in weight and waist circumference. The evidence indicates that those individuals that consumed more n-3 PUFAs over the 5 years showed no difference in weight or waist circumference when compared to others. This leads to the conclusion that these unsaturated fatty acids don’t play a role in obesity prevention in humans. For more information click here.