Diet Rich in Omega-3 May Benefit Prostate & Colon

Most people have heard of omega-3 fatty acids and are aware of the significant amount of scientific evidence that indicates that omega-3s may be critical to good health. Two new, related studies have added to this evidence by finding that omega-3s may reduce the risk of certain cancers.

The two related studies come out of Harvard and use the same dataset involving 20,167 men from the Physician's Health Study. In the first of the two studies, the researchers found that a diet with a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish may reduce the risk of prostate cancer death by as much as 38%. The participants were free of cancer at the onset of the study (1983) and were followed for up to 22 years.¹ It is estimated that over 500,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year, with approximately 200,000 prostate cancer deaths each year.

The researchers evaluated fish intake and "seafood omega-3" intake among the men. When the researchers compared the rate of the disease amongst the highest and lowest intake groups, they found that the men who ate fish 5 or more times per week had a 48% reduced risk of dying from prostate cancer than those who ate fish less than one time per week. When accounting for seafood omega-3 intake, the researchers found that the men in the highest intake group had a 38% reduced risk of dying from prostate cancer than the men with the lowest intake of omega-3s. This study did not find a link between omega-3 intake and the incident (occurrence) of prostate cancer, but rather the risk of dying from it.

The second of the two related studies, which was published in May of 2008, found that higher intakes of omega-3 fatty acids from fish may reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer.² As stated earlier, the same group of researchers using the same dataset, found that those with the highest intake of omega-3s have a 26% reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer as compared to those with lowest intake of omega-3s.

Learn more about omega-3 fatty acids and why they are important here, and read about our Omega-3 Fish Oil and Extra-Strength Omega-3 Fish Oil.

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1. Chavarro, J. E., M. J. Stampfer, et al. (2008). "A 22-y prospective study of fish intake in relation to prostate cancer incidence and mortality." Am J Clin Nutr 88(5): 1297-303.

2. Hall, Megan N., Chavarro, Jorge E., Lee, I-Min, Willett, Walter C., Ma, Jing "A 22-year Prospective Study of Fish, n-3 Fatty Acid Intake, and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Men" Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008 17: 1136-1143.