In June 2019 researchers from France, Germany, USA, Denmark, Spain, UK, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Finland published the results of their study to assess the association between fish consumption, long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and colorectal cancer. A total of 521,324 individuals were included in the study. Information on dietary intake of fish (total, fatty/oily, lean/white) was collected via a food frequency questionnaire and intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids estimated. During an average follow up period of 15 years 6,291 individuals developed colorectal cancer. Results showed that a regular consumption of fish (total, fatty/oily, lean/white) was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, which was possibly due to the intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, the levels of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in blood samples were not associated with risk of colorectal cancer, although there may be some differences in risk at different regions of the colon.
Aglago EK et al. Consumption of Fish and Long-chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids is Associated With Reduced Risk of Colorectal Cancer in a Large European Cohort. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019 Jun 25. [Epub ahead of print]