Most studies on prostate cancer prevention focus on the initial prevention of the cancer. Rarely do we see studies on preventing advanced prostate cancer. Now a study has shown that consuming omega-3 fatty acids appear to protect against developing advanced prostate cancer. In other words, eating a serving of fish each week could dramatically reduce your chance of advanced prostate cancer.
The study appeared in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
The study was a case control analysis of 466 men diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and 378 healthy men. Researchers looked at their diets and found the men who ate more fish were cancer free. The men who didn’t eat any or little fish had prostate cancer.
John Witte,Ph.D., professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco says men who eat just a serving of fish a day could cut the risk of advanced prostate cancer by 50 percent. Dr. Witte added that the best fish to eat appears to be salmon, mackerel and blue fish as the all have very high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.
Joel T Nowak MA, MSW
Having lost a kidney to cancer and now, some 15 years later, into my 3rd year with aggressive prostate cancer, which I’m managing naturally, I have always had a regular intake of fish, two to three times per week. However, the latest studies now bring into question the wisdom of this because of proven contamination of fish with chemicals, including mercury. Even in small amounts mercury is more toxic than cadmium,lead or even arsenic.
It is true that where one lives in the world is relative to the amount of build up of mercury in the local wildlife but it is said that globally, all of the larger species, tuna and shark for example,and many of the smaller varieties, are contaminated well above the safety levels for human consumption.
That being the case then surely one needs to be particularly circumspect regarding advice to eat regular servings of fish. In my own case, I now only consume the very small fish species, such as pilchards,sardines and anchovy. But if I lived, say, in the Mediterranean region, I would not because there, even the smallest of fish have high mercury build-up. Just a thought.