Omega 3 protect heart without raising prostate cancer risk, find studies
Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute researchers in recent studies have
found that Omega-3 supplements protect the heart without raising prostate
cancer risk.
Use of Omega supplements is continuously on the rise amid controversies
regarding their efficacy and safety. The common questions raised are- are Omega
3 supplements totally safe? Should one keep taking omega 3 pills? Or try to
have two servings of omega-3 rich fish a week, as the American Heart
Association recommends? Does Omega 3 increases risk of prostate cancer?
The researchers at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute conducted
research regarding potential benefits and risks of this popular supplements, especially
when it comes to prostate cancer risk and heart health. Earlier studies
suggested a possible link between higher omega 3 plasma levels and the development
of prostate cancer.
The Intermountain research team presented 2 new studies about omega 3s at
the 2019 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions recently.
Omega 3 is a type of fat. Small amounts of omega 3 fats are essential for
good health, and they can be found in the food that we eat. The main types of
omega 3 fatty acids are, alphalinolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is normally found in fats from plant
foods, such as nuts and seeds ( walnut and rapeseed are rich sources). EPA and
DHA
collectively called long-chain omega 3 fats are naturally found in fatty
fish, such as salmon and fish oils, including cod liver oil.
In one study, the research team identified 87 patients who were part of the
study, had developed prostate cancer. These patients were also tested for
plasma levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA),
which are 2 common omega 3 fatty acids.
When compared to a matched control group of 149 men, the researchers found
that higher omega 3 levels were not linked with elevated prostate cancer risk.
A researcher said, they undertook this study in light of findings from a
2013 paper that suggested a possible link between higher omega 3 plasma levels
and the development of prostate cancer, one that has been debated since
publication.
If I’m recommending omega 3 for my patients to save their hearts, I want to
make sure I’m not putting them at risk for prostate cancer, said the
researcher. Our study found no evidence of a link between the two.
In the 2nd study presented at the 2019 American Heart
Association Scientific Sessions, the researchers looked at 894 patients
undergoing coronary angiography.
These patients had no prior history of heart attack or coronary artery
disease, however upon their 1st angiogram, about 40 % of those
patients had sever disease and about 10 % had the 3 vessel disease, the
researcher said.
Researchers also measured patients’ plasma levels of omega 1 metabolites,
including DHA and EPA.
Those patients were then followed to see who had a subsequent heart attack,
stroke, heart failure, or who died.
Researchers found that patients who had higher rates of omega 3 metabolites
had a lower risk of those follow up adverse effects regardless of whether they
had severe disease or not on their initial angiogram.
This study is important because we looked at how omega 3 helps patients who
have already developed the disease, and its effects on survival—both in getting
to the first angiography to be diagnosed ( vs having a heart attack or worse
before even knowing they have heart disease) and thereafter, said the
researcher.
While a seeming association between higher plasma omega 3 levels and the
findings of severe heart disease upon initial angiogram might raise alarms that
omega 3 isn’t beneficial, they did live to see a doctor and get diagnosed, he
added. And we saw a link between higher levels of omega 3 and their survival rate
thereafter.