Oily fish are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. (Photo: Toasto.com)

Oily fish may lower risk of death in bowel cancer patients

UNITED STATES
Wednesday, July 20, 2016, 23:50 (GMT + 9)

New US-based research suggests that daily intake or one or two weekly portions of oily fish by bowel cancer patients might significantly boost their chance of survival.

According to the study findings, patients appeared to cut their chance of death by up to 70 per cent just be upping their intake of marine omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish like sardines and mackerel, The Telegraph reported.

It is thought that omega-3 can suppress tumour growth and block blood supply to cancer cells.

Although the researchers say that the findings were observational and no firm conclusions can be drawn, they conclude that it provides the first evidence that omega-3 fatty acids could impact bowel cancer survival.

“If replicated by other studies, our results support the clinical recommendation of increasing marine omega-3 fatty acids among patients with bowel cancer,” said lead researcher Dr Andrew Chan, Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

The researchers looked at nearly 200,000 people from two large cohort studies which monitored diet and cancer prevalence.

Regular intake seemed to be especially beneficial for those who were tall, had a BMI below 25, and who did not take a regular aspirin, who lowered their risk of death by 85 per cent, 90 per cent and 88 per cent respectively.

According to nutritionists, about 15 g of salmon – a few mouthfuls – contains 0.3 g of omega-3 fatty acids. Eating a 100 g fillet – a portion that might be served as a meal – once a week would be enough to provide the equivalent of this amount daily. Around 100 g of herring, 200 g of sardines, or 200 g of trout, eaten weekly, would also deliver the equivalent of 0.3 g a day of omega-3. 

Meanwhile, Dr Alister McNeish, Lecturer in Pharmacology at the University of Reading said: “The paper provides interesting and robust evidence that high omega-3 intake is associated with improved colorectal cancer survival in those who have been diagnosed with the condition.”

However, Prof Tom Sanders, Professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College London, said: “This is an observational study and it is not possible to attribute the lower risk of bowel cancer specifically to omega-3 fatty acids because vitamin D may also have protective effects against colorectal cancer."

In Sanders' view, this study provides no support of taking omega-3 supplements but does support to the notion that eating oily fish once/twice a week is good for health especially if it replaces red and processed meat.

The authors, whose work is published in the BMJ Gut journal, wrote: "if the findings could be reproduced in other studies, patients with bowel cancer might benefit from boosting their oily fish intake to help prolong their survival."

Photo: Toasto.com
 
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