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Vitamins, Minerals & Other Nutrients
Do Omega-3s Raise Prostate Cancer Risk?
Correlation does not equal causation
Earlier this summer, a study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute regarding omega-3s and prostate cancer risk. It concluded that “this study confirms previous reports of increased prostate cancer risk among men with high blood concentrations” of omega-3s. While the study does not actually conclude anything of the sort, it damages the public further by warning that increasing omega-3 consumption could be hazardous to one’s health.
What do those of us striving for optimal health do when a study appears, claiming to have evidence that contradicts all of our hard-earned healthy habits? We look at a study and break it down, double checking the facts and the parties studied.
In this study, PPNF discovered many anomalies. The good news? You can rest easy, consuming your pastured, grassfed meats, safe, fatty, wild fish and high quality, animal, omega-3 supplements.
Unknowns within the study
1. What vitamin E supplement was used?
The men selected for this study were originally part of the SELECT trial (Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial). We don’t know what forms of vitamin E these men supplemented with, but, what we do know is there are very, very few types of safe, healthy vitamin E supplements currently available.
Vitamin E is actually comprised of many things including the tocopherols gamma- tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol. Many commercial vitamin E supplements do not contain gamma-tocopherol. Consuming high doses of alpha-tocopherol depletes cells of gamma-tocopherols and can cause a variety of inflammation-caused diseases. True vitamin E contains a total of four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. This combination of true vitamin E has been found in studies at John Hopkins University to greatly decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
2. What were the sources of omega-3s in the study?
Unfortunately, the study did not require the men keep dietary records, so it is unknown from what sources the men with higher levels of omega-3s obtained their omega-3s. Was it from grassfed beef (which is high in omega-3s) or from a fatty fish, such as shark, that is dangerously high in heavy metals like mercury? Wild, Alaskan salmon is a safer fatty fish that is high in omega-3s but, we have no way of knowing whether or not this was the food the men ate. The study specifically stated that DHA is correlated to higher prostate cancer risk but found no link for EPA and DHA and prostate cancer risk. DHA is the omega-3 found in animal fats
3. What time did the test subjects consume omega-3s in conjunction to when their blood was drawn?
Omega-3 levels in the blood can vary greatly in conjunction to omega-3 consumption, and, for this trial, the blood of the men was only drawn once. Blood would need to be drawn multiple times to be more accurate in establishing the levels of omega-3s in the bloodstreams of the test subjects. One blood test is not going to definitively confirm the true levels of omega-3s in the men’s blood, nor does it confirm their dietary habits, which, the study concluded with warning about.
4. What other foods did the test-subjects consume?
While other foods may or may not affect the levels of omega-3s in the blood stream, they will affect cancer cells. For example, sugar can contribute to the level abnormality of cancer cells by contributing further to the body’s overall inflammation.
Problems within the study
The omega-3s and prostate cancer risk study raises some concerns with its conclusions, as the test subjects were not the ideal health-conscious individual.
1. The omega-3 saturation of subjects
The highest concentration of omega-3s in bloodstreams was about 40% of that a health-conscious, fish-oil supplementing individual.
2. Many of the test-subjects were smokers
Over half of the test-subjects were smokers, and some had smoked for over 25 years.
3. Many of the test subjects used alcohol
Over half of the test subjects used alcohol.
4. Most of the test subjects were overweight
Almost 80% of the test subjects were overweight, with 33% being obese.
Do I keep taking my Omega-3 fish oil or not?
We know that huge indicators for health risks, including cancer, are smoking, alcohol usage, weight, and lastly, the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s in the body. Unfortunately, this study does not address the issue that the majority of its test subjects had qualifying bad habits and statures that are linked to the inflammation that raises the risk of any cancer, including prostate cancer. This alone makes us wonder how this study concluded that omega-3s cause increased risk of prostate cancer.
We don’t believe correlation has been established either, as the study does not show the overall level of fatty acids in the bloodstreams of the test subjects. It’s certainly possible that these test subjects did not consume enough fats or had unhealthy levels of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats, which can promote inflammation within the body. We’ll never know, as this study did not include this highly relevant information in its published form.
Lastly, we do know that the test subjects supplemented with vitamin E, and, the chances are good that it was an incomplete form of vitamin E. Don’t forget, supplementing with the incomplete form of vitamin E is NOT natural! It IS unhealthy, and dangerous to health.
Is it safe to continue supplementing with high quality omega-3s and to continue eating wild, Alaskan salmon and grassfed beef? The overwhelming majority of studies say yes it is, and yes you should.
Stay tuned for next week when we learn more about what true vitamin E is!
REFERENCES:
http://www.anh.com “Badly Flawed Study of Fish Oils Leaps to Wildly Unsupported Conclusions about Cancer.” Accessed July 16, 2013. http://www.anh-usa.org/flawed-study-fish-oil-cancer/
www.mercola.com “Absurd Study Claims Omega-3 Fats Raise Prostate Cancer Risk.” Accessed July 16, 2013. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/31/omega-3-fats.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed “Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk in the SELECT Trial.”