A new study suggests that women eating more fish have lesser risk to developing breast cancer because of its omega-3 fatty acids content.
A group of researchers from China studied the results of 21different studies with a total participant of 900,000 women where almost a quarter of them had breast cancer at some point in their lives. Their analysis revealed that those who had consumed the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids from fish were 14 percent less at risk to breast cancer.
Omega-3 fatty acids can be found on fish oils of salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and anchovies. These fish have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids but there were those that have lesser amounts such as tuna. In fact, there were fish oil capsules already available in the market containing omega-3 fatty acids.
The researchers clarified that their study is focused only on fish sources. Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids are not included.
They used two methods of analysis to establish their case. They took blood samples of the participants to identify the presence of the omega-3 fatty acids on their bodies. They also gave questionnaires and conducted interviews to find out their consumption of fish.
While there were less evidence that fish diet could lower breast cancer risks to the Westerners, the researchers proved that it does reduce the risk for Asians. They explained that it may be because the consumption level of the Westerners when it comes to fish is too low to gather accurate results.
This study was published in the June 27 issue of the British Medical Journal.
It is also the first to provide evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can help lessen the risk to breast cancer. There were previous studies which proved that it can also help in lowering the blood pressure and assist on other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and more.
