Eating Oily Fish can Protect Women against Breast Cancer

Consuming oily fish can protect women against the risk of developing breast cancer, a new study from China reveals.

The study published in the British Medical Journal found that marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) found in certain oily fish was highly effective in preventing breast cancer. However, researchers couldn't prove that the n-3 PUFA from plants (ALA) could have the same effect on lowering breast cancer risks. N-3 PUFA is a combination of three fats- ALA, EPA, DPA and DHA. While ALA is mainly found in seeds, nuts and plant oils, the rest can be found in marine oils.

For the study, Ju-Sheng Zheng from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China and his team analyzed 800,000 participants, who were a part of 26 studies from United States, Europe and Asia. Of the total participants, 20,905 had breast cancer. The studies investigated links between breast cancer and different factors that can lower its risks including intake of fish, marine n-3 PUFA and alpha linolenic acid.

At the end of the study, the scientists found that, of all the three factors, marine n-3 PUFA was most effective in lowering risks of breast cancer. Making their point more clear, researchers said that every 0.1 g increase in the fatty acids through oily fish daily can cut risks of developing breast cancer by five percent.

On the grounds of their findings, the study authors recommend women to take at least 1 to 2 portions of oily fish like salmon, tuna or sardines per week to cut risks of breast cancer by 14 percent.

"Higher consumption of dietary marine n-3 PUFA is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer," the authors wrote in their conclusion.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among American women. According to a latest estimate from the American Cancer Society, nearly 232,340 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 64,640 with non-invasive breast cancer and nearly 39,620 women will die from breast cancer this year, across the country.