Oasis Advanced Wellness Health Forum

[jillian]

RAND CORPORATION UNFAIRLY SMEARS FISH OIL PILLS; CALL FOR WITHDRAWAL OF BOGUS STUDY
Bill Sardi, Knowledge of Health, Inc.

Following an analysis of 38 previously published studies involving the dietary consumption of omega-3 fish oil and the incidence of cancer, Rand Corporation investigators falsely conclude that omega-3 fish oil pills are of useless value in preventing cancer, when no fish oil pills were used in any of the assessed studies.

The flaw in the widely publicized Rand study, published in the January 25, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, apparently escaped scrutiny by peer reviewers at the journal. Journal editors have been asked to withdraw the study.

The stated claims of the study, to assess ?omega-3 fatty acid-containing dietary supplements (that) have appeared on the market claiming to protect against the development of a variety of conditions including cancer? and the actual study itself, which analyzed ?38 articles with a description of effects of consumption of omega-3 fatty acids on tumor incidence,? all which were dietary intake studies, mistakenly concluded that ?dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids is unlikely to reduce the risk of cancer.?

Commercially produced omega-3 fish oil supplements differ from fresh fish in that they do not contain detectable amounts of mercury. [Archives Pathology Laboratory Medicine 127: 1603-05, 2003; 129: 74-77, 2005] The mercury content of fresh fish is believed to negate some of the health benefits of omega-3 oils. [Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis Vascular Biology 25: 228-33, 2005]

Mercury is known to stimulate the growth of cancer cells. [Environmental Toxicology 20: 32-44, 2005; Endocrinology 144: 2425-36, 2003] For example, exposure to mercury from industrial pollution in Japan increased the risk for leukemia (cancer of the blood) by 8 times. [Journal Epidemiology 6: 134-38, 1996]

Furthermore, fish oil may not significantly reduce the risk for cancer, but may reduce cancer mortality rates. In one study, fish consumption only protected against later stages of cancer, not the initiation of cancer. [European Journal Cancer Prevention 4: 329-32, 1995] Omega-3 oils appear to protect against metastasis (spread of cancer to other organs), which is the primary cause of death among cancer patients. [In Vivo 8: 371-74, 1994] It is widely known that most senior-aged males harbor cancer cells in their prostate glands, but an autopsy of 61 deceased male Eskimo (Inuit) men, who are known to consume high amounts of omega-3 fish oil, found only 1 case of the invasive mortal-type of prostate cancer. [Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention 12: 926-27, 2003]

Omega-3 oils are also known to prolong survival among individuals who have developed cancer. [Cancer 82: 395-402, 1998] Omega-3 fish oils have also been shown to improve the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs. [Journal Nutrition 134:3427S-3430S, 2004]

Recently a remarkable report was published in the Journal of Nutrition & Cancer which cited the case of a 78-year old male with a malignant form of cancer (fibrous histiocytoma), with tumor masses in both lungs, who declined conventional chemotherapy and elected to solely consume omega-3 oils (15,000 milligrams/day) as treatment. A remarkably slow and steady decrease in the size and number of tumors was carefully documented by his doctors. The man experienced no side effects and remains symptom-free from cancer. [Nutrition & Cancer 52: 121-29, 2005]


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Press Release: Journal Am. Med. Assn. (JAMA. 2006;295:403-415)
Consumption of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Unlikely to Reduce Cancer Risk

Newswise ? A review of numerous studies finds no strong evidence indicating a significantly reduced risk of cancer associated with the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, according to an article in the January 25 issue of JAMA.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that groups of people who consume diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, found in certain fish and vegetables, may experience a lower prevalence of some types of cancer, according to background information in the article. Many small trials have attempted to assess the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cancer treatment by adding omega-3 fatty acid to the diet either as omega-3 fatty acid?rich foods or as dietary supplements. Because of the results of some studies, a number of omega-3 fatty acid?containing dietary supplements have appeared on the market claiming to protect against the development of a variety of conditions including cancer, even though studies have reported mixed results.

Catherine H. MacLean, M.D., Ph.D., of RAND Health, Santa Monica, Calif., and colleagues assessed the validity of claims that omega-3 fatty acids prevent cancer by systematically reviewing the literature for studies that evaluated the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on the incidence of cancer. Using several databases and other sources, the researchers identified 38 articles, published between 1966 to October 2005, which met the study criteria. Reviewers independently abstracted detailed data about the incidence of cancer, the type of cancer, the number and characteristics of the patients, details on the exposure to omega-3 fatty acids, and the elapsed time between the intervention and outcome measurements.

The researchers found: ?Among 65 estimates of association calculated across 20 different cohorts for 11 different types of cancer and 6 different ways to assess omega-3 fatty acid consumption, only 10 are statistically significant. Significant associations between omega-3 fatty acid consumption and cancer risk were reported for breast cancer in 4 studies; for colorectal cancer in 1; for lung cancer in 2; for prostate cancer in 2; and for skin cancer in 1. However, for each breast, lung, and prostate cancer, there were significant associations for both increased risk and decreased risk and far more estimates that did not demonstrate any association. The study that assessed skin cancer risk found a significantly increased risk. Hence, no trend was found across many different cohorts and many different categories of omega-3 fatty acid consumption to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids reduce overall cancer risk.?

?? omega-3 fatty acids appear not to affect a mechanism of cancer development that is common across the different types of cancers evaluated in this report. Likewise, there is little to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of any single type of cancer,? they write.

?A large body of literature spanning numerous cohorts from many countries and with different demographic characteristics did not provide evidence to suggest a significant association between omega-3 fatty acids and cancer incidence. Dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids is unlikely to reduce the risk of cancer,? the researchers conclude.