Fish Oil Study Results Show Fatty Acids Linked To Prostate Cancer

There is a new fish oil study conducted by scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and was published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that suggests that men who have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their system face a 43 percent increased risk of developing prostate cancer and a 71 percent increased risk of the high-grade form of the disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids may be taken from eating a lot of oily fish or taking potent fish oil supplements. These fatty acids, found in fish such as salmon, trout and fresh tuna and in fish oil capsules, are widely reputed to have health benefits because of their anti-inflammatory properties.

Just why are these omega-3 fatty acids associated with prostate cancer? “That’s the million dollar question,” said lead author Theodore Brasky, a research assistant professor at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus, who was at Hutchinson at the time of the study.

Based on these and other findings, Brasky thinks men should probably moderate their intake of fatty fish and fish oil supplements.

“We are getting to the point where we don’t see a lot of benefit for heart disease. Some of the enthusiasm for these fats has been premature,” he added.

One expert cautions that these new findings don’t show a cause-and-effect relationship between prostate cancer and omega-3 fatty acids.

SOURCES: Theodore Brasky, Ph.D., research assistant professor, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio; Anthony D’Amico, M.D., Ph.D., chief, radiation oncology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston; July 11, 2013, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, online.