Eating fish reduces the risk of cancer of the intestine: study

A new study suggests that eating three or more servings of fish a week reduces the risk of bowel cancer.

Those who like fish regularly have 12% less risk of bowel cancer than those who eat less than one serving a week, experts say.

The discovery concerns all types of fish, although people who opt for smaller portions of fatty fish may also reduce their risk of cancer of the intestine by 10%.

The study included experts from the University of Oxford and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It has been published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

It has been funded by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

For this study, the researchers examined the dietary habits of 476,160 people who completed a food frequency questionnaire.

This included details on their consumption of fish, including white fish, fat, fat and lean.

On an average follow-up of 14.9 years, 6,291 people developed bowel cancer.

The results showed that consumption of 359.1 g of fish per week resulted in a 12% decrease in the risk of intestinal cancer compared to a consumption of less than 63.49 g per week.

Meanwhile, people eating only 123.9g of fatty fish, such as salmon and sardines, reduced the risk of bowel cancer by 10%.

A typical portion of fish is about 100g.

The team reported that fatty and fatty fish were an extremely rich source of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), which would have a protective effect on the body and prevent inflammation.

The non-fat fish also contains these fatty acid compounds.

"Our research shows that fish consumption appears to reduce the risk of bowel cancer and should be encouraged as part of a healthy diet," said Dr. Marc Gunter, IARC Senior Investigator.

"One of the drawbacks of this study is that the food data collected from the participants did not include information on the consumption of fish oil supplements, which may not be measured in fish oil. have an effect on bowel cancer, influence the risk of bowel cancer. "

"The biological reasons why fish consumption potentially reduces risk are not fully understood, but one of the theories includes specific fatty acids such as omega-3s, found almost exclusively in fish, responsible for this. protective effect through their anti-inflammatory properties ", Dr. Anna Diaz Font, head of research funding at WCRF, said.