A mackerel a day may keep the
prostate doctor away
by Michael O'Leary
SEATTLE -- June 1, 2001 (Cancer Digest) -- Men who eat even moderate
amounts of fish high in a healthful oil may significantly reduce
their prostate cancer risk, according to Swedish researchers.
After following a group
of men for 30 years, the researchers found that men who ate no
fish had a two-fold to three-fold higher frequency of prostate
cancer than those who ate moderate or high amounts of fish.
The research team led
by Dr. Paul Terry of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden
published the results of the study in today's issue of The Lancet.
After adjusting for
other dietary and lifestyle factors, the researchers found strong
link between fish consumption and prostate cancer.
"We examined fish
consumption in relation to prostate cancer in a population-based
prospective cohort study in Sweden, a country with a traditionally
high consumption of fatty fish from Northern (cold) waters, such
as salmon, herring, and mackerel, which contain high amounts
of omega-3 fatty acids," they wrote. "An increasing
proportion of fish in the diet was associated with a decreasing
frequency of prostate cancer."
The long-term study
involves a subset of a very large population study of twins in
Sweden, which began in 1961. The results reported in this new
study are based on 6,272 male twins who responded to a diet and
lifestyle questionnaire sent to the study participants in 1967.
They continued to follow the men until the end of 1997 or until
they had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, or had died.
A total of 466 men
were diagnosed with prostate cancer at an average age of 76·7
years, and 340 had died. Among the 124 men who seldom or never
ate fish, 14 (11.3 percent) were diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Among the 549 men who ate fish more than three times a week,
42 (7.7 percent) were diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The study was limited
by the fact that a large proportion of the participants regularly
eat fish while only a small number of participants seldom or
never ate fish.
Based on earlier laboratory
studies, the researchers note that only fish high in omega-3
fatty acids are likely to lower the risk of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer strikes
about 21 out of every 100,000 men worldwide, according to the
World Health Organization. Prostate cancer is the second leading
cause of cancer death in men in the United States, exceeded only
by lung cancer.
SOURCE: The Lancet, 02 June 2001: Volume 357, Number 9270
pp. 1764-1766
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