Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
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Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#2Kind of an old article, here is a link to an article written around the same time that was updated last summer.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fish-oil-friend-or-foe-2...
Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#3Keep in mind that this does not mean you have a 70% chance of getting prostate cancer if you take fish oil supplements.
Based on this[0], it's roughly an increase from about 0.02% chance to about 0.034% chance (given no other information to base your risk on)
Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#4The article does not talk about alternatives. A great alternative for Omega-3s are ground flax seeds, one tablespoon a day mixed for example in your oatmeal is enough - https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids
Also for the derived DHA/EPA, there are pollutant-free alternatives based on algae oil.
Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#5Kind of an old article, here is a link to an article written around the same time that was updated last summer. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fish-oil-friend-or-foe-2...
At a certain point it says:
"Evidence linking fish oil and cancer has been all over the map. Some research suggests diets high in fatty fish or fish oil supplements might reduce the risk of certain cancers, including prostate cancer. Other research shows just the opposite, a link between eating a lot of oily fish or taking potent fish oil supplements and a 43% increased risk for prostate cancer overall, and a 71% increased risk for aggressive prostate cancer."
Go figure! I guess, inconclusive at best.
Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#6Keep in mind that this does not mean you have a 70% chance of getting prostate cancer if you take fish oil supplements. Based on this[0], it's roughly an increase from about 0.02% chance to about 0.034% chance (given no other information to base your risk on) [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2706483/
And this:
>This was a large, well designed study that supports previous research linking high blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids with prostate cancer risk. However, it cannot show that fish oil supplements cause prostate cancer and it is possible that other confounders affected men’s risk (although the researchers tried to take these into account).
Their conclusion contradicts their own headline.
Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#7Keep in mind that this does not mean you have a 70% chance of getting prostate cancer if you take fish oil supplements. Based on this[0], it's roughly an increase from about 0.02% chance to about 0.034% chance (given no other information to base your risk on) [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2706483/
My understanding was that basically every man will, if they live long enough, have some cancerous cells in their prostate.
The main risk seems to be going from "so slow growing you die of old age first" to "fast enough growing it becomes a problem", unless I am horribly mistaken.
Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#8I prefer eating quality canned sardines regularly instead of taking these supplements which can be viewed as a heavily processed industrial food derived from sources of unknown provenance.
They have plenty of omega-3s and are very low on the food chain.
Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#9The article does not talk about alternatives. A great alternative for Omega-3s are ground flax seeds, one tablespoon a day mixed for example in your oatmeal is enough - https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids Also for the derived DHA/EPA, there are pollutant-free alternatives based on algae oil.
just eat fish, shellfish, etc?
Re: Fish oil supplements linked to prostate cancer (2013)
#10The article does not talk about alternatives. A great alternative for Omega-3s are ground flax seeds, one tablespoon a day mixed for example in your oatmeal is enough - https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids Also for the derived DHA/EPA, there are pollutant-free alternatives based on algae oil.
I prefer flax seed oil to ground flax seeds, due to cyanide being present in the shells.