OMEGA 3 and the Prostate

Omega-3 –  Internationally recognised prostate cancer experts, dismiss study linking omega-3 to prostate cancer

The Irish Association of Health Stores (IAHS) reassures their customers, following responses from many eminent medical experts worldwide who have slammed the recent ‘scare-mongering ’ over the recent study linking omega-3 to prostate cancer. The IAHS has every confidence in recommending Omega-3 products to their customers and that they should continue to eat a healthy diet containing oily fish. Any customer with concerns about prostate cancer is strongly recommended to seek the advice of their health care professional.

Crucially, in the study no account at all was taken of the manner in which omega-3 entered the bloodstream of the research participants.  Blood levels of omega-3 alone were examined and no account was taken of the men’s diet or possible supplementation. At no point were fish oil supplements implicated.

Asked to comment on the study, Dr Harry Comber, Director of the National Cancer Registry in Ireland, said he was loath to give advice to patients to take action on the basis of a single study.  “People should not change their behaviour based on a single study. I would take it with a little bit of caution. It is suggestive but not definitive one way or the other,” he added.

Similarly the Irish Cancer Society does not recommend any person to alter their normal intake based on this research.

In an article featured on Nutraingredients this week, Alan Ruth PhD, of the Irish Health Traders Association stressed that it was not alone industry experts who criticised the study. He quoted from a recent interview on US TV with the internationally recognised prostate cancer expert, Professor Anthony D’Amico, Professor D’Amico has gained international recognition for his work in detection and treatment of prostate cancer, with over 140 peer-reviewed publication to his name.

Asked what his position is on the research in question Professor D’Amico’s comments included the following:

“The study really cannot make the conclusion that it’s trying to, because these types of studies are not cause and effect…….. they left out some very important risk factors for prostate cancer …

“So what you’re left with at the end of the day is an association that at best is very weak and further weakened by the fact that they didn’t account for the known predictors of prostate cancer, when they were making this calculation.”

A recording of the full interview may be accessed via the link below. Scroll down when the web page opens.

http://www.prostate.net/2013/prostate-cancer/omega-3-prostate-cancer-study/