fish oil

noun

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of fish oil

: a fatty oil from the bodies of various fishes (such as menhaden or sardines) that contains large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids and is used as a dietary supplement and in making various products (such as cosmetics and paints)

Recent Examples of fish oil from the Web

Rigorous studies have failed to show that fish oil supplements prevent heart attacks.

— liz szabo, USA TODAY, "Are you over 65 and take vitamins? They don't usually help — and sometimes they harm," 4 Apr. 2018
Rigorous studies have failed to show that fish oil supplements prevent heart attacks.

— liz szabo, Washington Post, "Older Americans Are Hooked On Vitamins Despite Scarce Evidence They Work," 4 Apr. 2018
But the payback for fish oils could be much higher.

— laine welch, Anchorage Daily News, "Seafood industry seeks new value in fish parts," 15 Jan. 2018
Probiotics and fish oil supplements during pregnancy and breast-feeding may reduce the risk for food allergies and eczema in early childhood, researchers report.

— nicholas bakalar, New York Times, "Probiotics and Fish Oil During Pregnancy May Curb Allergies in Kids," 7 Mar. 2018
In fact, fish oil is the third most widely used supplement in the United States.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Health effects of fish oil: Where do we stand?," 1 Mar. 2018
Examples include avocados, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, olives, salmon, tuna, fish oil, tofu, ground flaxseed, etc.

— bryant stamford, The Courier-Journal, "We know high-fat diets are currently trendy. But are they safe?," 22 Feb. 2018
Menhaden are not a popular fish for cooking, but are typically processed into fish oil or fish meal.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Thousands of dead fish wash up on NC’s Outer Banks. Cause a mystery. | Charlotte Observer," 22 Feb. 2018
PUFAs include any liquid oils outside of coconut oil and olive oil (i.e. canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil and even fish oil).

— steven macari, Harper's BAZAAR, "15 Ways to Combat Winter and Political Stress," 4 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fish oil.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fish oil

1785

Medical Dictionary

fish oil

noun

medical Definition of fish oil

: a fatty oil that is obtained from oily fish (such as herring or menhaden), contains large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, and is used as a dietary supplement and in making various products (such as protective coatings, cosmetics, and animal feed)

Scientists learned some time ago that there are significant health benefits from consuming omega-3 fatty acids, which are found mostly in fish oils, algal oils, and linseed oil.
—Felicia M. Willis, Today's Chemist at Work, October 2004