The media recently sent shockwaves through the fitness community when they claimed that “using Omega-3 supplements can greatly increase the risk of prostate cancer”.
What the fuck?
The reports were citing a 2013 study which was published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and I’m going to take a closer look at it today in order to determine whether it’s time to ditch good old Omega-3 capsules for good…
What Did The Study Actually Say?
Before you go any further, let me lower your heart rate by confirming this study is absolutely bogus!
Yep, I said it.
Quite frankly, I don’t know how this so-called “study” managed to get published in the first place, because the Journal of the National Cancer Institute should’ve known better.
It claims that having high blood levels of Omega-3 fatty acids correlates with a 70% increase in the risk of developing low-grade prostate cancer, and a 45% increase for all other forms of prostate cancer. (1)
Holy fuck. That would be ground-breaking news if it was true, right?
But there were several massive holes in this “study” which weren’t reported in the press.
First off, the blood levels of Omega-3 in people they deemed “high risk” was 4.66%, and those in the control group were only at 4.88%, which is a statistically insignificant difference. Also, the researchers never actually gave anyone Omega-3 supplements throughout this process, all they did was look through old research papers on various topics and “cherry pick” data which showed people who had both high levels of Omega-3 and prostate cancer.
Unfortunately, we see papers making outlandish statements every few years. It’s a trend which has gone on for decades. We’d like to believe that all studies are conducted fairly, ethically, and with good intentions at heart, but the sad reality is that some are deliberately trying to hit the headlines in order to garner funding for the researchers’ future projects.
It sucks, but that’s life.
This particular study was set up to achieve that goal straight out of the gate, and alongside the shocking Omega-3 “links”, it made several other nonsensical statements, including:
- “Having higher levels of trans fat correlates with a lower risk of cancer”
- “Smoking has a lower risk of cancer than not smoking”
Yikes.
So you can file this Omega-3 prostate cancer report alongside the other recent scaremongering news stories which claimed that drinking whey protein shakes will kill you, and that a glass of red wine is as good for your body as an hour in the gym.
Ex-Muscle & Fitness science chief Jim Stoppani had this to add:
“This so-called study is utter nonsense.
I’m sorry to be so blunt, but it angers me when scientists publish purposely weak statistical correlations just to get create media uproar and get the public in a tizzy over the fake dangers of supplements which are totally safe.”
– Dr. Jim Stoppani, PhD
Russ’ Take-Home Advice
I despise scaremongering news reports like this.
Heck, most people feel quite lost when it comes to fitness, nutrition, and supplementation, so things like this do little to help the cause.
But here’s the thing…
If elevated levels of Omega-3 really did boost the risk of prostate cancer we would easily be able to see this by looking at the rate of prostate cancer throughout the areas of the world which consume the highest amount of fish, right?
The numbers simply don’t add up, and we have literally decades of peer-reviewed research (the “gold standard” of scientific data) showing us that Omega-3 supplementation is perfectly safe! (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
So while I do believe that supplement companies often “inflate” the benefits of Omega-3 supplements just to make a sale (e.g. the tiny fat burning effect it has, or that the UK government recommends it as a preventative measure against heart disease even though studies show it doesn’t make much difference in that regard), they certainly do offer use some useful health benefits in relation to muscle retention and energy, and they’re totally safe to use.
Hopefully I’ve cleared that mess up for you!
References:
- Brasky, T. M., et al. Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk in the Select Trial. J Natl Cancer Inst (2013).
- Zheng, J, et al. Fish consumption and CHD mortality: an updated meta-analysis of seventeen cohort studies . Public Health Nutr (2012).
- Aung, T., et al. Associations of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplement Use With Cardiovascular Disease Risks: Meta-analysis of 10 Trials Involving 77 917 Individuals. JAMA Cardiol (2018).
- Calder, P. C., et al. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammatory processes: nutrition or pharmacology? Br J Clin Pharmacol (2013).
- Libby, P., et al. Inflammation and cardiovascular disease mechanisms. Am J Clin Nutr (2006).
- Innes, J. K., et al. The Differential Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci (2018).
- Smith, G. I., et al. Dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation increases the rate of muscle protein synthesis in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr (2011).
- Smith, G. I., et al. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids augment the muscle protein anabolic response to hyperinsulinaemia-hyperaminoacidaemia in healthy young and middle-aged men and women. Clin Sci (Lond) (2011).
- Couet, C., et al. Effect of dietary fish oil on body fat mass and basal fat oxidation in healthy adults. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord (1997).
- Warner, J. G. Jr., et al. Combined effects of aerobic exercise and omega-3 fatty acids in hyperlipidemic persons. Med Sci Sports Exerc (1989).
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System – United States. (2017).