Eating fish three times a week would significantly reduce the risk of being sick with intestinal cancer.
According to a recent study of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatologyeating fish three times a week would be a way to reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer.
The study, carried out on almost half a million people, showed that people who regularly ate fish had a 12% lower risk of developing colorectal or small intestine cancer than people who did not eat fish. fish.
In France, colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in men, the 2nd in women according to figures from the National Cancer Institute.
Lean or fatty fish
Oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon or herring are already known to reduce the risk of heart disease and protect against mental degeneration thanks in particular to the anti-inflammatory properties of omega 3.
But the study in question is a first of its kind: we had never before analyzed the links between fish consumption and intestinal cancers in such a large population.
The researchers followed 476,160 people in Europe over fifteen years. Result: fatty fish but also lean fish are associated with a lower risk of developing bowel cancer. But no link could be observed with crustaceans.
“This expanded study joins others that suggest eating fish may reduce the risk of bowel cancers,” said Anna Diaz Font, a member of the World Cancer Research Fund, which funded the study. “The biological reasons are still unclear, but one theory is that fatty acids such as omega 3, found almost exclusively in fish, are responsible for this protective effect via their anti-inflammatory properties.”
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