Fish Oil

To the Editor.—  I commend Dr Yetiv¹ for his excellent review of the biochemistry and clinical applications of fish oil. However, despite his recognition that these substances do have a legitimate therapeutic role, Dr Yetiv fails to solve the problem for what he admits is the largest segment of potential fish oil consumers—the healthy individual.Most Americans are aware now that increased consumption of fish may be associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, yet many do not put this into practice. A US Department of Agriculture survey showed that almost half the population does not like fish; of those that do, the majority eat either nonfatty species or fish prepared in an unhealthful manner (eg, fried).While it is true that there have been no long-term interventional studies of low-dose fish oil supplementation, the epidemiology supporting low-dose supplementation is strong and, by Dr Yetiv's admission, unlikely to