In that experimental and clinical data suggest anti-cancer properties of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the colon, Sangmi Kim, from the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (North Carolina, USA), and colleagues examined the association between intakes of different polyunsaturated fatty acids and distal large bowel cancer in a population based case-control study involving nearly 1,000 residents of North Carolina, along with a matching control group, for a five-year long study period. The team assessed dietary habits including consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and tracked for the incidence of colon cancer.. They found that those subjects who consumed the most long-chain omega-3 fatty acids had a reduced risk of distal large bowel cancer, with those in the highest quartile achieving a 39% reduced risk of cancer.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Risk of Colon Cancer
Sangmi Kim, Dale P. Sandler, Joseph A. Galanko, Christopher, Robert S. Sandler. “Intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids and distal large bowel cancer risk in whites and African Americans” (Abstract A109), American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, Dec. 2009.
