Men who eat oily fish less likely to die from prostate cancer

Eating a diet rich in oily fish may significantly reduce the risk of dying from prostate cancer, new research suggests.

Researchers studied data of 20,167 men participating in the Physician's Health Study to determine whether oily fish consumption had any impact upon the incidence of prostate cancer. During the 22-year-long study 2161 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 230 died of prostate cancer. Results showed that whilst eating fish had no effect on the risk of developing prostate cancer it did appear to markedly increase the odds of surviving the disease. In fact, results showed that men who ate five portions of oily fish each week were 48% more likely to survive prostate cancer than men who only ate one portion each week.

The authors concluded: “These results suggest that fish intake is unrelated to prostate cancer incidence but may improve prostate cancer survival.”

Chavarro JE, Stampfer MJ, Hall MN, Sesso HD, Ma J. A 22-y prospective study of fish intake in relation to prostate cancer incidence and mortality. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;88:1297-1303.