A new study conducted by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle has found a link between fish oil supplements and a reduced risk for breast cancer.

Study Details

35,000 women were asked about what non-vitamin supplements they were taking; all of the women were between the ages of 50 and 76 and were postmenopausal.  When the study began, none of the women had breast cancer; after six years of follow-up, 880 cases of breast cancer were identified.

The researchers found that fish oil taken 4-7 times a week was associated with a 32% reduction in risk.  However, Dr. Emily White, an epidemiologist and lead author cautioned that the study was limited in scope; she emphasizes that a correlation between the two doesn’t definitively prove or disprove a causal relationship.  She added that more research is needed to make that determination.

Omega-3s, an Interesting History

Food Consumer became curious about history of fish oil - with how long it’s been touted by health professionals as an elixir of health.   We found some interesting facts. 

First of all, did you know that cod liver oil is basically an omega-3 fish oil supplement?  For those who were given the nasty concoction as children, the very words remind us of the days when we told our mothers that “we’re fine, honest!” when she approached, bottle in hand, after we said we were too sick to go to school.

Thank goodness for liquid gel capsules.  But we digress.

Cod liver oil first came on the scene in the 19th century as a vitamin D supplement for sun deprived children to keep them from developing rickets.  In the 1950s, a German scientist discovered essential fatty acids, and she created a diet she claimed would fight cancer.  Her patients, she contended, experienced rapid tumor reduction when they followed the diet (American Cancer Society).

Then in 1996, the American Heart Association stated that omega-3 fatty acids might possibly reduce cardiovascular risks, due to its anti-inflammatory affect on the body.

Omega-3s:  Not Produced by the Body

Should research continue to support fish oil supplements as a nutrient important in maintaining good health, the medical community will continue to urge the public to consume them.  While omega-3s are vital to some bodily processes, the body itself doesn’t produce it; it must be consumed as a food (in cold water fish such as salmon and cod), or taken as a supplement.