{"id":14690,"date":"2025-09-13T07:11:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T11:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/?p=14690"},"modified":"2025-09-13T07:11:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T11:11:27","slug":"cutting-through-the-fish-oil-confusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/13\/cutting-through-the-fish-oil-confusion\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting Through the Fish Oil Confusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"CuttingHave the latest news reports on fish oil and prostate cancer caused you to be confused and concerned?<\/p>\n

For me, it has led to frustration and fatigue from having to do a significant amount of damage control.<\/p>\n

Making matters worse is that this need for damage control is due primarily to the irresponsibility of the media in their successful attempt to grab headlines without critically reading the scientific study by Brasky et al. before drawing conclusions.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an Example of Some of the Headlines:<\/h3>\n

\u201cFish oil may raise prostate cancer risk, study confirms\u201d -NBC News<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking\u00a0Omega 3<\/a>\u00a0supplements may increase the risk of prostate cancer\u201d -Daily Mail<\/p>\n

\u201cMen might want to shun fish oils, study shows\u201d -Seattle Times<\/p>\n

I presume the biggest lesson learned from the whole thing is that if you listen and apply health information delivered by the media, you may be reducing your chances of a long, healthy life.<\/p>\n

OK, I\u2019ll step off my soapbox now. Let\u2019s dig into this and separate fact from fiction.<\/p>\n

The Flawed, Recent Study<\/h3>\n

In the new analysis, researchers measured the levels of fats in the blood (plasma phospholipids) and concluded that men with the highest concentrations of EPA, DPA and DHA-three fatty acids derived from fish and fish-oil supplements had an increased risk of prostate cancer.<\/p>\n

Specifically, they reported a 71 percent increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer; a 44 percent increase in the risk of low-grade prostate cancer and an overall 43 percent increase in risk for total prostate cancer in a subset of patients with the highest level of these\u00a0omega-3<\/a>\u00a0fatty acids.<\/p>\n

Dr. Alan Krystal, one of the authors of the study had this to say:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Cutting\u201cAs we do more and more of these studies \u2013 and I have been involved in them most of my career \u2013 I find high doses of supplements have no effect or increase the risk of the disease you\u2019re trying to prevent. There is not really a single example of where taking a supplement lowers disease risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Krystal exemplifies the concept of bias here. These researchers were quick to blame dietary supplements, even though there is no evidence that anyone in this study consumed fish or fish oils from dietary supplements.<\/p>\n

In fact, the study demonstrates no cause and effect; it can only purport to show an association between higher plasma levels of\u00a0omega-3<\/a>\u00a0fatty acids and those whom the researchers advise us had an increased rate of prostate cancer.<\/p>\n

In usual circumstances, plasma levels of EPA and DHA reflect very recent intake and are considered a poor biomarker of long-term\u00a0omega-3<\/a>\u00a0intake. Fish and fish oil ingestion produces a big rise in plasma\u00a0omega-3<\/a>\u00a0levels in about 4.5 hours and washes out around 48 hours.<\/p>\n

Biologically, there is no plausible reason to suspect that too much\u00a0omega-3<\/a>\u00a0could cause cancer.<\/p>\n

In fact, a plethora of studies that rank higher in the totem pole of evidence show mostly protective effects from the consumption of\u00a0Omega-3<\/a>\u2019s:<\/strong><\/p>\n