Do omega-3 fatty acids increase the risk of prostate cancer?
Sea fish turned out to be dangerous for men
Copper News based on ScienceDaily: Link Between Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Increased Prostate Cancer Risk ConfirmedA high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood serum is associated with a significant increase in the risk of developing prostate cancer, especially its highly malignant aggressive form.
The results of a study conducted by experts from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, USA), call into question the benefits for men from regular consumption of large amounts of fatty marine fish rich in this type of acid and appropriate dietary supplements. The work was published on July 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Brasky et al., Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk in the SELECT Trial).
This is the second, larger-scale study by the same group of authors on this topic, which confirmed the results of the first. In 2011, they found that high blood concentrations of one of the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), more than doubled the risk of aggressive prostate cancer (American Journal of Epidemiology, Brasky et al., Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk: Results From the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial).
This time, the authors studied the relationship between prostate cancer and the three main omega-3 fatty acids, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) and DHA. The study participants were 834 patients with diagnosed prostate cancer. The control group consisted of 1,393 men randomly selected from 35,000 participants in SELECT, a global study dedicated to identifying a potential link between selenium and vitamin E intake and prostate cancer.
It was found that a high concentration of three omega-3 fatty acids in the blood serum (the difference between the highest concentration level and the lowest was 2.5 percent, which, as the authors note, is more effective from eating salmon twice a week) is associated with a 71 percent increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer, 44-a percentage increase in the risk of its low-grade form and a 43 percent increase in the overall risk of prostate cancer.
"The stability of the results obtained indicates the involvement of omega-3 fatty acids in carcinogenesis, therefore, recommendations for increasing the consumption of foods with their high content and, in particular, dietary supplements should take into account potential risks," the authors of the study emphasize.
The mechanism behind the revealed phenomenon is not yet clear to the authors. As the lead author Alan Kristal noted, the results obtained contradict the accepted point of view about the positive effect of omega-3 fatty acids on health precisely because of their anti-inflammatory effect, and it is believed that inflammatory reactions play an important role in the development and growth of many types of cancerous tumors.
In particular, a recent study by Chinese scientists has shown a link between high consumption of marine fish and a reduced risk of breast cancer. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids are considered useful for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and increasing life expectancy.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru11.07.2013