CELEBRITY STYLE SPY: See all the latest celeb photos

Oily Fish Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk

By Bridget Freer on Thursday 26 March 2009

Print
Share
Comment

Oily fish, cancer risk, Health News, Marie Claire

Men who regularly eat 'dark' oily fish such as herring, salmon and mackerel are far less likely to develop prostate cancer, scientists revealed.

A study reported in the Daily Mail compared the diets of 466 men who have prostate cancer with 478 who don’t, and found that men who ate oily fish between one and three times a month had a 36% lower risk of developing prostate cancer than men who never ate fish. That figure rose to 57% in men who ate oily fish once a week or more.

Scientists believe fish oils, rich in omega-3 fatty acids block the spread of cancerous cells. High consumption of oily fish also has a major impact on the effect of a variant of the COX-2 gene, an inherited gene which is linked to prostate cancer.

'The increased risk was reversed by increasing omega-3 fatty acid intake by a half a gram per day. The strongest effect was seen from eating dark fish one or more times per week," said Professor John Witte from the University of California in San Fransisco, who led the research.