HHS HealthBeat (April 6, 2012)

Fish oil and polyps

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A study indicates that women who eat at least three servings a week of fish with omega-3 fatty acids have a lower risk of polyps that could develop into colon cancer. Vanderbilt University researcher Harvey Murff saw this in data on people who reported what they ate and who had colonoscopies – exams to check for polyps.

Murff says the findings could be another reason to eat fish with omega-3s, such as salmon and tuna:

“There’s already some good data that suggests that omega-3 fatty acids that come from fish help reduce somebody’s risk of having heart disease. And I think this study would suggest that you might also have a reduction in your risk of developing certain cancers.” (13 seconds) 

The report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April 6, 2012