These foods can reduce the risk of cancer, a study reveals

Eating more foods containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, walnuts and seeds, can reduce the risk of contracting 14 different cancers, a recent study found.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of fat associated with lower cholesterol levels, brain health and longevity—especially omega-3, which is generally considered non-inflammatory.

Sources of omega-3 include fatty fish—such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and trout—as well as flaxseeds, walnuts, fish oil products, and cod liver oil. Omega-6 is found in vegetable oils such as canola oil, nuts, seeds, eggs and avocados.

“Higher levels of omega-3 and omega-6 were associated with lower rates of cancer,” said Yuchen Zhang, lead author of the study at the University of Georgia, US, in a statement. “These findings suggest that the average person should focus on getting more of these fatty acids in their diet.”

Zhang and a team of scientists used data from 250,000 people who took part in the UK Biobank study: a large clinical study following more than half a million Brits for more than ten years.

After about 12 years, about 30,000 of the quarter of a million participants in the University of Georgia study had some form of cancer.

When examining the levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in their blood plasma, scientists found that higher levels of these nutrients are associated with a lower risk of cancer.

Participants who had high levels of omega-3 were less likely to develop colon, stomach, lung and other digestive cancers, while high levels of omega-6 were associated with a lower risk of 14 types of cancer, including brain, malignant melanoma, bladder. even more.

Omega-3 and omega-6 are believed to compete in the body, and the Western diet is considered by many nutritionists to be too high in omega-6 and not high enough in omega-3 . Therefore, it is common for nutritionists to advise against consuming additional omega-6 fatty acids, for example in the form of seed oil.

However, this study found that higher levels of both fatty acids were associated with a lower risk of cancer, but people with higher levels of omega-3 had and less chance of getting prostate cancer.

“For women, it’s a simple decision: eat more omega-3,” said Associate Professor Kaixiong Ye, corresponding author of the study at the University of Georgia, in a statement.

Scientists have found a strong effect of omega-6 in young participants, especially young women. But omega-3 seemed to be more protective in older participants, men and current smokers.

This research was published in International Journal of Cancer in October.

Do you have advice about the food story that Newsweek should cover? Do you have a nutritional problem? Let us know about science@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story can be featured Newsweek.

Reference

Zhang, Y., Sun, Y., Song, S., Khankari, NK, Brenna, JT, Shen, Y., Ye, K. (2024). Associations of plasma omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids with overall and 19 site-specific cancers: a UK Biobank cohort study, International Journal of Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.35226