Omega-3 fatty acids may not reduce cancer risk

A review article, published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, discusses the role of omega-3 fatty acids in reducing the risk of cancer development. The article, which was compiled by Maclean et al, draws on research published between 1996 and October 2005 by Medline, PreMedline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and CAB Health. In addition, the discussion includes unpublished work obtained from research leaders in the nutraceutical industry.

In total, data from studies examining 11 different types of cancer in 20 separate cohort groups were examined with the researchers identifying 65 separate conclusions which suggested a link between fatty acid consumption and cancer risk reduction. Of these, the JAMA article's authors concluded that 8% of the observations seen in the analyzed data were statistically significant.

In addition, the reviewers concluded that the results were mixed. For example, they reported that while three of the observations suggested a link between fatty acid consumption and a reduced risk of breast cancer, one set of data linked omega-3s with an increase in breast cancer risk. Across all the reviewed studies, no link was found between fatty acid consumption and the incidence of aerodigestive cancer, bladder cancer, lymphoma, ovarian, pancreatic and stomach cancer.