…seems the Omega-3s aren’t quite as cute & cuddly as we’ve been assuming. TIME takes up the story:

Hold The Salmon: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Linked to Higher Risk of Cancer

Too Much Fish Oil Might Boost Prostate Cancer Risk, Study Says

What’s good for the heart may not be so healthy for other organs, says the latest study that links omega-3 fatty acids to an elevated risk of prostate cancer.
It’s not just an apple a day that keeps the doctor away anymore — recently, fish oils found in species like salmon, trout and tuna have been associated with a lower risk of heart disease and even Alzheimer’s. In fact, the most recent revisions to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2010 recommended consumers substitute high-fat protein sources with more seafood, including fatty fish.

….A new study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, however, shows that these fish fats may not be improving everyone’s health — in the trial, those with high concentrations of marine-derived omega-3s in their blood showed a 43% higher risk of developing prostate cancer than those with the lowest levels.

…The latest research found that the association between omega-3s and prostate cancer held for both high- and low-grade prostate cancers.

It’s not that omega-3s are harmful, but that the fatty acids may have more complex effects on the body than previously thought. “We have this tendency to talk about good foods and bad foods, good nutrients and bad nutrients,” Dr. Theodore Brasky, a research assistant professor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and the study’s head author. The nutrients commonly found in fish fight potentially damaging inflammation, but they may also increase oxidative damage to the DNA in cells, similar to the effects of stress, that can create fertile ground for cancers to grow.

The study measured omega-3 blood levels in the participating men, and did not include information on the volunteers’ eating habits, so researchers could not differentiate between the effects of fatty acids from fish from those of supplements. However, the overwhelming majority of the participants did not take fish oil supplements. Based on the results, Brasky says that men with a family history of prostate cancer should discuss with their doctor whether fish oil supplements are safe for them, since these pills tend to contain concentrated doses of omega-3 — supplements contain between 30% to 60% of a serving of fish, and if a fish oil supplement is taken everyday, that adds up to a lot of daily fish oil. Brasky also suggested that men cut down on their fatty fish intake, though not eliminate it entirely.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/07/11/hold-the-salmon-omega-3-fatty-acids-linked-to-higher-risk-of-cancer/#ixzz2Ymu7zEot

I don’t read this stuff anymore, just try to eat foods that are simple and with minimum additives.

>>Too Much Fish Oil Might Boost Prostate Cancer Risk

So they don’t know for sure, jolly good.

If omega-3 was a risk factor, then one might expect prostate cancer in Inuit populations to be higher than normal. Instead, prostate cancer in Inuit fed on traditional diets is almost non-existant.

Inuit are protected against prostate cancer

I’m with kii on this. There have been too many surveys on prostate cancer that have led to conclusions that have subsequently been overturned by further surveys. It appears that there is some fundamental weakness in the whole statistical approach used in this type of medical science.

morrie said:

If omega-3 was a risk factor, then one might expect prostate cancer in Inuit populations to be higher than normal. Instead, prostate cancer in Inuit fed on traditional diets is almost non-existant.

Inuit are protected against prostate cancer

I’m with kii on this. There have been too many surveys on prostate cancer that have led to conclusions that have subsequently been overturned by further surveys. It appears that there is some fundamental weakness in the whole statistical approach used in this type of medical science.

It’s not a survey…

There are problems but these are often not reported on as it doesn’t grab headlines like ‘OMFG fish oil causes cancer’.

poikilotherm said:

morrie said:

If omega-3 was a risk factor, then one might expect prostate cancer in Inuit populations to be higher than normal. Instead, prostate cancer in Inuit fed on traditional diets is almost non-existant.

Inuit are protected against prostate cancer

I’m with kii on this. There have been too many surveys on prostate cancer that have led to conclusions that have subsequently been overturned by further surveys. It appears that there is some fundamental weakness in the whole statistical approach used in this type of medical science.

It’s not a survey…

There are problems but these are often not reported on as it doesn’t grab headlines like ‘OMFG fish oil causes cancer’.

I’m not worried at all.

people taking medicine seem to die in great numbers too

therefore medicines are bad

OTOH:

Women who do not eat fish during pregnancy are more likely to experience high levels of anxiety at that time, researchers have revealed.

They have found a link between the types of diet eaten, particularly whether this includes fish, and anxiety in pregnancy.
The researchers suggest that eating fish during pregnancy could help reduce stress levels.
Most women experience some stress during pregnancy but excessive anxiety is not good for the mother’s long-term health and can result in their baby being born prematurely and/or having a low birth weight.
Researchers from Children of the 90s at the University of Bristol and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, looked at the fish intake of more than 9,500 pregnant women
They categorised women’s diets by the frequency with which different types of foods were eaten and identified five dietary patterns. They are roughly described as: health-conscious, traditional, processed, confectionery and vegetarian.
The researchers found that women who never ate seafood had a 53 per cent greater likelihood of having high levels of anxiety at 32 weeks of pregnancy when compared with women who ate seafood regularly.
The results suggest that two meals of white fish and one meal of oily fish each week would be an adequate amount of fish to consume.
This was the case after taking into account 14 different factors that could affect anxiety, including drinking, smoking and family adversity during pregnancy.<

And vegetarians were the most stressed:

>When the researchers investigated the dietary patterns, women in the top third of the vegetarian type of diet pattern were 25 per cent more likely to experience anxiety than women in the bottom third.
There was also evidence that women in the top third of the health-conscious dietary pattern were 23 per cent less likely to have high levels of anxiety when compared with women in the bottom third.
Women in the top third of the traditional diet pattern were 16 per cent less likely to have high levels of anxiety when compared with women in the bottom third.
These findings, the researchers suggest, may be due to the lack of fish and meat in a vegetarian type of diet and because a pregnant woman’s nutritional requirements increase during pregnancy, due to the demands of the growing foetus, which gets all its nutrients from the mother.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/2013/07/13/11/29/fish-and-low-stress-link-in-pregnancy

Fish oil cancer warning suspect, says SCU academic

A SOUTHERN Cross University professor has questioned the results of a study linking increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids to prostate cancer.

Long touted for its ability to prevent heart disease, strokes and diabetes and to improve cognitive function, fish oil is one of the most popular nutritional supplements.

According to the latest study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, higher levels of omega-3 in men increase the likelihood of high-grade prostate cancer by 71%.

But Professor Stephen Myers said the findings of the study were inconsistent with the current evidence.

Prof Myers said as the study showed no link between the amount of omega-3 fatty acids consumed and an increase in prostate cancer the results were not strong.

“Given the fact that for cardiovascular reasons and arthritis reasons we are recommending people increase their fish intake and start taking fish oil supplements, prostate cancer should be significantly on the rise and it’s not,” he said.

Prof Myers said there was no reason for people to reduce their intake of fish or fish oil supplements based on the findings of the study.

The team behind the research also published a 2011 study which showed men with the highest levels of DHA – a type of omega-3 – had double the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Senior author Dr Alan Kristal said: “We’ve shown once again that use of supplements may be harmful.”

“Recommendations to increase long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake, in particular through supplementation, should consider its potential risks,” the US study said.

The study compared blood from 834 prostate cancer patients with 1393 healthy men.

The Heart Foundation currently recommends adults consume at least 500mg of omega-3 every day from oily fish or fish oil supplements.

http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/prostate-warning-a-little-fishy-says-prof/1946326/