Research on the health benefits cited here pertain to the specific omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) found in fish oil. Alpha-lenolenic acid (ALA), another omega-3 fatty acid that occurs abundantly in flax seed and, I presume, chia seeds as well, can be converted into the aforementioned omega-3s but the human body is very inefficient in doing so. Chia seeds and flax seed actually have complementary properties to the benefits derived from fish oil consumption, notably the soluble fiber contained therein and the anti-bacterial role of lignans.

The cardiovascular benefits of fish oil consumption, however, are well chronicled, including their ability to drastically slash triglycerides and forestall the fatal arrthymias that often occur in the course of heart attacks. Although it is certainly beneficial to ingest omega-3s by actually eating fish, "pharmaceutial-grade" fish oil supplements concentrate EPA and DHA at levels significantly higher than they naturally occur in fish, while eliminating the impurities found in mercury and other toxins, through a process known as molecular distillation. Be sure to refrigerate fish oil supplements after opening them; the omega-3 fatty acids found therein are extremely sensitive to heat, light and oxygen.