Omega-3 Fish Oil and Breast Cancer
Omega-3 fish oil reduces breast cancer risk in study
A new study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (July 2010), found that omega-3 fatty acid DHA and EPA from fish oil can reduce the risk of breast cancer.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center asked 35,106 postmenopausal women with no history of breast cancer about their use of non-vitamin non-mineral “specialty” supplements. Six years later 880 cases of breast cancer were identified. Researchers found that women who regularly took fish oil supplements were 32% less likely to develop breast cancer. This reduction in risk “appeared to be restricted to invasive ductal breast cancer, the most common type of the disease,” according to a press statement form the center. This is the first study to find a link between fish oil supplements and reduced breast cancer risk.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends taking three grams of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids a day, with no more than two grams per day from supplements.