Will Omega-3 in Fish Really Reduce your Breast Cancer Risk?

A little fish a day keeps breast cancer at bay, as they say. Well, no, they don't actually say that. However, a new study shows that this might very well be the case.

Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. In fact, it is one of the leading cause of cancer deaths among women of all races.

Of course, a healthy diet and lifestyle is crucial for the prevention of any disease, along with cancer. Yet dietary fat is one of the topics most intensely studied for its beneficial properties, especially in staving off serious illnesses, cancer included.

A team of researchers in China set out to investigate the particular association between fish and n-3 PUFA intake and the risk of breast cancer. Levels were measured from dietary sources and blood tests.

Reviews and analyses from 26 studies in the United States, Europe and Asia involving over 800,000 participants and over 20,000 cases of breast cancer showed that compound was linked to a 14 percent reduction of breast cancer between the highest and lowest category of marine n-3 PUFA intake. The risk was lower in Asian populations. However, researchers believe this may be due to the fact that fish intake is much higher in Asia than in western countries.

Further analysis also indicated that ingesting just 0.1 gram per day was associated with a 5 percent reduction in risk.

Researchers note, however, that these results do not necessarily show any added protective benefit with ingestion.

More information regarding the study can be found online at BMJ.com.