Nutrition & Diet Omega-3 supplements linked to aggressive prostate cancer

[Second Summer]

A supplement taken by millions for its health benefits may help to trigger aggressive and lethal prostate cancer, research has shown.

Omega-3 fatty acids, derived from fish oils and lauded for their anti-inflammatory properties, were found to increase the risk of high-grade disease by 71%.

Omega-3 Supplement Taken By Millions 'Linked To Aggressive Prostate Cancer' (Huffington Post, 11. June 2013)

I thought this was worthy of its own thread. (Link originally posted by Moll Flanders in the "In the news" thread.)

 

[Blobbenstein]

I have bought linseed capsules over the years, but never really kept up taking them. I had bottles of the stuff too to add to oats, but didn't keep that up either. Glad I didn't bother.

 

[Blobbenstein]

but like the article says, near the bottom, they haven't found a causal link, I don't think, just a correlation. I don't mind though, I still won't bother taking it.

 

[ledboots]

Could be the mercury in the fish oil.

 

[Second Summer]

Or the oil going rancid. Or simply that there is something unhealthy about animal sources of omega-3. Or that omega-3 or in particular long-chained omega-3 is only healthy in smaller doses.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I read recently that animal fats might be a cause of prostate cancer, my husband has to have a scan next week so I was reading up on the subject. I think the scan is just a precaution as he is over forty.

Risk factors and causes of prostate cancer - Cancer Information - Macmillan Cancer Support

Could be the mercury in the fish oil.

Yes, I thought the same about mercury.

Hopefully this might put some people off taking their fish oil supplements, it seems like everyone non-veg I know takes them.

 

[Tom L.]

I think it's generally agreed that omega-3s are necessary, but nobody has figured out how much we need. And that could be the problem. A number of essential nutrients can cause serious problems if we get too much of them: iron, calcium, vitamins A or D, for example.

I was eating a heaping tablespoon of ground flax seed every day or two. Over the last month, I was taking one DHA gelcap (from algae, not fish) each day. As I understand it, we can make DHA from flax oil but the process sometimes isn't efficient.