Study finds that high blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids can harm people

Jul 11, 2013 14:20 GMT  ·  By

Omega-3 fatty acids are praised by many, and some people resort to taking fish-oil supplements just to make sure their bodies get enough of these supposedly beneficial compounds.

A new study warns that people who consume noteworthy amounts of omega-3 fatty acids risk developing several medical complications.

More precisely, scientists argue that high blood concentrations of these compounds trigger a 71% increase in a man's chances of developing aggressive prostate cancer at some point in his life.

Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids up the risk of low-grade prostate cancer by 44%, and the overall risk for all prostate cancers by 43%, Newswise reports.

Specialists recommend that people quit taking oil-fish supplements, and switch to getting their omega-3s from fish (eg. salmon and mackerel) alone.

They also say that one or two weekly meals of oily fish are enough for the average person to get the nutrients that they need in order to stay healthy without having to worry that their efforts to keep fit might backfire.

“The consistency of these findings suggests that these fatty acids are involved in prostate tumorigenesis and recommendations to increase long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake, in particular through supplementation, should consider its potential risks,” the researchers write in their paper.

“There is really no evidence that taking dietary supplements is beneficial to health, and there is increasing evidence that taking high doses is harmful,” they warn.

For the time being, specialists are unable to explain this link between high blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids and increased prostate cancer risk.

They suspect that, when they are broken down by the human body, these fatty acids turn into compounds that harm both cells and DNA. Further studies will hopefully shed more light on this issue.

An article detailing the findings of this investigation was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute this July 11.