Fish oil supplements reduce cravings for nicotine and even the number of cigarettes that people smoke a day, according to a new study conducted at the University of Haifa.
 

“The substances and medications used currently to help people reduce and quit smoking are not very effective and cause adverse effects that are not easy to cope with. The findings of this study indicated that omega-3, an inexpensive and easily available dietary supplement with almost no side effects, reduces smoking significantly,” said lead research Sharon Rabinovitz Shenkar, M.D., head of the addictions program at the University of Haifa.
 

For the study, 48 smokers were divided into two groups: One received omega-3 supplements; the second group received a placebo. At no stage in the study were the participants asked to stop smoking. For 30 days, participants’ nicotine cravings and smoking frequency were tracked.
 

At the end of the study, the results showed the smokers who had taken omega-3 reduced their cigarettes by an average of two a day (an 11 percent decrease on average), even though they were not asked to change their smoking habits in any way. They also had a significant decrease in nicotine craving.
 

In the meantime, the group receiving the placebo did not show any significant changes in their craving levels or in the number of cigarettes they smoked a day during the study.