According to new research, a lot of oily fish or taking potent fish oil supplements may increase prostate cancer risks. Moreover, marine sources of omega-3 fatty acids may also raise the risk for aggressive prostate cancer, according to the study by scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
“These anti-inflammatory omega-3s were associated with a 43 percent increased risk for prostate cancer overall, and a 71 percent increased risk in aggressive prostate cancer,” said study 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.
Omega-3 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. But this new research, published online July 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, confirms damaging evidence reported in two prior studies.
You May Also Like
Why?
“That’s the million dollar question,” Brasky said. Omega-3 fatty acids may have properties that aren’t well understood and in high doses could cause oxidative stress, which can lead to DNA damage, possibly increasing the risk for prostate cancer, he speculated.
