
Originally Posted by
Steve Blechman
This is a “cohort” study and does not prove cause and effect. It remains uncertain why high concentrations of omega 3 fatty acids are associated with higher risk of prostate cancer in this study. The conclusions are anything but consistent. A randomized controlled trail of omega-3 fats (EPA & DHA) is important to see whether and how they affect the prostate.
Possible mechanisms might be immune suppression, increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), IGF-1, mTOR, heavy metals, and pesticide exposure (PCB’s.)
At this time the health benefits of fish outweigh the risk. I have been eating a predominately fish diet with supplement fish oil for over 20 years! I get a PSA test annually.
The Greenland Eskimos live on predominately fatty fish and whale blubber and do not have a higher incidence of prostate cancer. Their main cause of death is cerebral and gastric hemorrhage! They bleed to death from high levels of omega-3 (EPA & DHA.)
The majority of human studies have found fish oil to lower the risk of cancer including, colon and breast cancer.
Because fish oil contains highly unsaturated fatty acids they are prone to oxidation. Make sure you supplement with adequate antioxidants. Especially N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and selenium. They are very effective in detoxifying heavy metals, pesticides, mutagens, and carcinogens in fish. Because salmon is a fatty fish (unlike tuna) it’s low in mercury, but very high in lipophilic PCB’s, which are known to be potent carcinogens! They are stored fatty tissues and mobilized into the bloodstream when dieting.
Also, recent studies have shown that heavy metals mercury and cadmium which are found in fish effect hypothalamic – pituitary-gonadal function and lower testosterone! I will report on this in next MD.