Eat fish to prevent bowel cancer--study
POSTED March 19, 2010 - 12:19 | POSTED BY neha gupta
Last edited by Kangna Agarwal on March 19, 2010 - 12:51
Edible form of Omega-3 fatty acids is mainly present in oily fishes like salmon, mackerel and herring.
Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids is as effective as medical drugs prescribed for the treatment, with an added advantage of no side effects associated with it, revealed the study.
Details of the study
The study looked at 55 patients with the inherited gene mutations responsible for the development of bowel tumors or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).
All the patients had undergone surgeries in the past and were being continuously monitored through endoscopy.
Out of the 55 patients, 28 were prescribed a daily dosage of 2g of a highly purified form of the omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) EPA, whereas the others were given the same amount of a placebo dosage.
The EPA capsules were further coated in order to prevent indigestion problems seldom associated with it.
The dosage of both the EPA capsules and the placebo continued for a period of six months, wherein the number and size of FPA growths in the patients were studied by the researchers.
Results of the study
The study revealed that the number of polyps (bowel growth) had increased by around 10 percent in the placebo takers, but had fell by 12 percent in the EPA patients.
Moreover the polyp size too increased by 17 percent in the placebo group and decreased by 12.5 percent in the EPA group, representing a significant difference of 30 percent in both the groups.
The researchers explained that the capsules containing Omega-3 fatty acids have some cancer prevention properties which counteract the oxidation effect in our body, lowering the risk of bowel cancer.
“Experimental data have shown benefits of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in colorectal carcinogenesis, ranging from reduced tumor growth, suppression of angiogenesis and inhibition of metastasis,” said Sangmi Kim, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Bowel cancer
Bowel cancer or colorectal cancer relates to a cancerous growth in the rectum, colon or appendix areas.
Some invasive bowel cancers that erupt inside the colon wall can be easily treated through surgery. However, if they happen to reach the regional lymph nodes, only 73 percent remain curable.
The study was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference.
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