Fish oil (Omega3) reduces breast cancer risk!

An important study published last year in Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010:19(7);1696-1708 has the important name The VITAL Cohort.  This sturdy compared VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) to breast cancer incidence.  35,000 women from Washington state were followed for an average of 6 years by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in this first ever prospective study specifically designed to investigate supplements and breast cancer.  The women enrolled were between 50 and 76 years old.

The supplements examined included: fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM (mthylsulfonylmethane), grapeseed, black cohosh, soy, dong quai, St. John's wort, acidophilus, CoQ10, garlic, ginko biloba, gensing and melatonin.

The report was based on current and past use at 6 years.

Current users of fish oil had 32% fewer breast cancers!  Fish oil was the only one of the supplements to exhibit statistically significant risk reduction of breast cancer.  This is not the only study demonstrating a breast cancer reduction for the omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.  A study from Singapore sites a 28% reduction in breast cancers among those with high dietary intake of omega3 fatty acids.

So, here is another good reason to take fish oil.  I take 3gm daily, to relieve hand joint aches.  For all of the many other benefits review omega3 at www.umm.edu.  I have heard from some a worry about bleeding with omega3 use, but this theoretic risk has not proven so in reality.  In a review of 19 trials of heart and other vascular procedures, Dr. Harris found that bleeding among omega3 users, even up to 3 grams per day, was "virtually nonexistent" (Am J Cardiol 2007:99[suppl];44c-46c).

The only problem with fish oil supplements is that they are not regulated and may not be pure and may have other fillers.  In my research, I found some pills with only 30% omega3.  Mercury and PCB's are also found in some.  The one omega3 with the highest purity I could find you can read about at www.oewmd.com.