Can Fish Oil Supplements Guard Against Risk of Developing Cancer? Study Sheds Light - Video

New research from the University of Georgia suggests omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may help ward off a variety of cancers.

"Higher omega-3 and omega-6 levels were associated with lower rates of cancer," said Yuchen Zhang, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in UGA’s College of Public Health.

Participants with higher levels of omega-3s had lower rates of colon, stomach and lung cancer, in addition to lower rates of other digestive tract cancers. High omega-6 levels led to lower rates of 14 different cancers, including brain, malignant melanoma, bladder and more.

The study relied on data from a United Kingdom-based study of over 250,000 people who were followed for more than a decade. Of those participants, almost 30,000 developed some form of cancer during the study period.

Known as “healthy fats,” omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential for human health. But the decision to take the popular fish oil pills isn’t one-size-fits-all. In the present study, for example, the researchers found that high omega-3 levels could be associated with a slightly higher risk of prostate cancer.

“For women, it’s an easy decision: Eat more omega-3,” said Kaixiong Ye, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

The researchers also saw a stronger beneficial effect of omega-6 in younger participants, particularly women.

Reference: Zhang Y, Sun Y, Song S, Khankari NK, Brenna JT, Shen Y, Ye K. Associations of plasma omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids with overall and 19 site-specific cancers: a population-based cohort study in UK Biobank. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Jan 22:2024.01.21.24301568. doi: 10.1101/2024.01.21.24301568. Update in: Int J Cancer. 2024 Oct 17. doi: 10.1002/ijc.35226. PMID: 38343844; PMCID: PMC10854355.