Does Fish Oil Cause Prostate Cancer?

Odds are you've heard this outrageous headline somewhere the last couple weeks.
This has got to be one of the most ridiculous quoted studies, I've come across in a long time.

It seems that the scare going across the news these days, trying in vain to connect a link between fish oil and prostate cancer is based on some hidden agenda towards naturopathic medicine at worst, or just plain ignorance on how to interpret data at best.

First off the study quoted does not use fish oil nor look into whether the subjects took fish oil - they looked at their blood plasma DHA levels.

Second off, the study did not vary significantly in DHA values, so to draw any type of correlation here is fiction - the facts are quite clear in that. The difference in omega 3 fatty acid levels between non-cancer, total cancer, low grade cancer and aggressive cancer groups were 3.62%, 3.66%, 3.67% and 3.74% respectively, which is within normal variation - for the authors to suggest any type of correlation is extrapolating beyond the data. There is no variation.

And lastly - even if a study were to show a true correlation between high DHA blood plasma level and increased occurence of whatever disease, you would want to look into the source of DHA. Does the person even supplement with fish oil? If so, is the fish oil contaminated with chemicals and rancid.

It is VERY important - regardless of this study which results are of absolutely no value - that you do look into the source of fish oil in addition to supplementing with vitamin E. If you do not supplement with sufficient of antioxidant E, then the types of fats found in fish oil tends to oxydize and contribute to inflammation before they are able to heal on a cell level.

So yes, with supplements you also need to pay attention to quality and be aware of synergistic factors that must be taken into account to reap benefits.

Bottomline - should you avoid fish oil? No - you need those types of fats for healthy brain and cell membrane functioning. Should you look into the quality of fish oil you're taking and ensure it's not chemically processed and comes from small fishes such as sardines in addition to always supplementing with vitamin E to stabilize the fats from going rancid? Absolutely.

Think of it this way: just because blueberries can go molded, it doesn't mean that they're not good for you and you should only eat canned food. It simply means that you shouldn't eat a food that has gone bad, and with supplements there are some rules you need to be aware of as you can't determine from the look of it, whether it's a of bad quality similar as to mold on your fruit.

Using your common sense and working with someone who knows how to match natural medicine with your biochemistry blueprint solves any issues. Of course the (mis)information in the mainstream media and from pharmaceutical sponsored studies, is overwhelming and no one can expect to be an expert on human biochemistry from the one-diet-fits-all type of health magazines we're loaded with.

Be smart about your health and don't compromise quality-wise on it - wealth is worth nothing without health.

Got a question health a-z talk to me here.

Ref: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2013 Jul 10. Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk

in the SELECT Trial. Brasky TM, D