Caution urged over omega-3 diet claim

Doctors should wait for “clearer evidence” about recent research linking high levels of omega-3 to prostate cancer before recommending changes to patients’ fish-eating habits, according to Health Information director Neville Calleja. Omega-3 fatty acids, found naturally in oily fish, are widely seen as beneficial since properties include the lowering of cholesterol, reduction in inflammation and protection against heart disease. Omega-3 food supplements are very popular throughout the world. A team of researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle last week found that men with high levels of omega-3 in their blood were at 43 per cent greater risk of prostate cancer than those with low concentrations. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, compared blood samples from 834 prostate cancer patients against 1,393 healthy controls. The results were widely reported throughout the media. Previous studies into prostate cancer and omega-3 had produced different results, with some suggesting the fatty acids could be protective rather than harmful. For this reason Dr Calleja believes that more research is necessary. “Most of the existing...