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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> During an average 15-year follow-up from 1987 to 2004, 150 kidney-cancer cases were diagnosed. The researchers found a lower incidence of kidney cancer in women who ate fatty fish once a week or more, but found no association with lean fish or other seafood consumption.
"In this large population-based cohort with data on long-term diet, we found that women who consumed one or more servings of fatty fish per week had a statistically significant 44 percent decreased risk of RCC (renal cell carcinoma) compared with women who did not consume any fish. Women who reported consistent long-term consumption of fatty fish at baseline and 10 years later had a statistically significant 74 percent lower risk," the authors wrote in a prepared statement.
"Our results support the hypothesis that frequent consumption of fatty fish may lower the risk of renal cell cancer possibly due to increased intake of fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaeneoic acid as well as vitamin D. Our results, however, require confirmation because this is the first epidemiological study addressing this issue."
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The Swedish researchers noted there are "large differences between fatty fish and lean fish in the content of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. Marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are 20 to 30 times higher in fatty cold-water fish than in lean fish. Fatty fish has three to five times higher content of vitamin D than lean fish, and lower serum vitamin D levels have been associated with development and progression of renal cell carcinoma."
The Swedish findings conflict with a major review published earlier this year that found omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish or fish-oil supplements did not prevent cancer.
A review of more than 38 studies found no evidence that diets rich in fish fight any kind of malignancy. These conflicting data showed omega-3 fatty acids "definitely have health benefits, but they are not a panacea. Preventing cancer is not one of the things omega-3 fatty acids do," said lead researcher Dr. Catherine MacLean, a natural scientist at Rand Health and a rheumatologist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System. The study was published Jan. 25 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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