Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Their Impact on Prostate Cancer Risk

Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FAs) are thought to have many health benefits, among them are prevention of heart disease, depression, and various types of cancer, including prostate cancer. Basic and animal research studies have established that treatment with, or diets high in, n-3 FAs inhibit the progression of prostate cancer. Although several human epidemiological studies have come to the same conclusion, the results between epidemiological studies are not consistent. Some epidemiological studies have even found a positive correlation between prostate cancer and n-3 FAs, although the majority of epidemiological studies and meta-analyses have found no correlation. This discrepancy has a number of potential causes, the foremost being that human studies have considerably more variables to contend with than studies involving cell cultures or animals. The variations between epidemiological studies point to the need for better controlled, larger-scale, epidemiological studies, and more preclinical studies to elucidate the mechanism of action of n-3 FAs.