May 3, 2011 – Omega-3 fatty acids found mainly in fish and known to be beneficial for the heart, may be associated with advanced stage prostate cancer, according to a recent study1 American.
Researchers found that men who had high levels of docosahexaenoic fatty acid (DHA) in the blood were 2.5 times more likely to have advanced stage prostate cancer (grade 8 to 102).
In addition, they found that men who had high concentrations of trans fats in their blood, which are found in abundance in junk food and which are linked to heart disease, had a 50% lower risk of suffering from heart disease. virulent cancer.
To arrive at these astonishing results, the researchers analyzed data resulting from a large clinical study carried out on 19,000 men, from 1994 to 2003, to test the effectiveness of finasteride (marketed under the name of Proscar®), a drug dedicated to preventing the onset of prostate cancer. This analysis focused on a sample of 3,461 males aged 55 to 84. Half of the participants had cancer of varying degrees.
The authors do not hide their astonishment. “Our results are puzzling because they suggest that omega-3 fatty acids, considered beneficial in preventing coronary heart disease, may increase the risk of rapidly growing prostate cancer, while trans fatty acids, considered harmful. , could reduce the risk of the same cancer. These results illustrate the complexity of research on nutrition and the risks of chronic disease, ”they note.
Caution
For pharmacist Jean-Yves Dionne, this study should be interpreted with great caution. On the one hand, all the participants were taking Proscar®. “The sample is not representative of the general population. These are participants who were taking a drug to prevent prostate cancer. It is quite possible that the results are only true for this study and not for all, ”he explains.
On the other hand, the efficacy of finasteride must be put in context. “Proscar® does not prevent virulent cancer, but rather milder forms of cancer. This could therefore partly explain the results, ”adds the pharmacist.
Until other research work clarifies the present results, Jean-Yves Dionne, like the authors of the study, asserts that we must above all not refrain from consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
“They are good for the health of the heart and they prevent other types of cancers which can also be virulent. The beneficial effects of omega-3s are far greater than the risks shown by this study which, let us remember, only concerns people who take finasteride, ”he concludes.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, 1 in 7 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime and 1 in 27 will die from it. About 24,600 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. About 4,300 men will die from it.
Louis M. Gagné – PasseportSanté.net
1 Brasky TM, Till C, White E et al. Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk: Results From the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Apr 24.
2. The severity of prostate cancer was established by biopsy according to the Gleason classification which distinguishes the structure of prostate tissue. Tissues which have cancer cells undifferentiated from healthy cells are said to be grade 1. Tissues whose cancer cells exhibit many atypical characters compared to healthy cells are said to be grade 5. The higher the grade, the greater the cancer. is virulent.
