Fish Oil and Colon Cancer – The Role of Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Cancer Prevention

The topic on fish oil and colon cancer is getting everyone’s attention. No surprises there because colon cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The bad thing about this type of cancer is that you may not even realize you have it until, well, it’s in the latter stage already.

What seems to surprise many people is the role of fish oil in the prevention and possible treatment of colon cancer. You do know that this oil can significantly help in the maintenance of the health of heart and the brain, but you probably never thought that this same oil can have an effect on colon cancer, as well. Actually, it’s not just colon cancer that the oil from fish can be of benefit, but also cancer involving the lungs, kidneys, and skin.

There are no conclusive studies on fish oil and colon cancer yet, but most researchers, scientists, and health gurus agree that the Omega-3 fatty acids found in the oil of fish are responsible for the reduced incidence of colon cancer in people who were exposed to fish oil. This is because this type of fatty acids is anti-inflammatory, and everybody knows that with cancer, there is usually some form of inflammation occurring. Simply put, by reducing the inflammation, Omega-3 keeps the cancer cells from progressing and prevents the development of new cancer cells.

It usually follows that the oilier the fish, the more abundant is the content of the Omega-3 fatty acids. However, before you go out into the deep blue sea, looking for the oiliest fish, here is one very important thing you should know – certain varieties of fish are contaminated with mercury, lead, and other toxins. This wasn’t the case half a century ago; needless to say, consuming fish in large amounts is not encouraged. Don’t worry, there is an alternative to this and it comes in the form of health supplements.

Yes, omega 3 fish supplements abound in the market today, but quite a lot of them are not of high quality so you have to be extra careful, else you will end up with a product that has very little health benefits, if any at all. Don’t always go for the cheaper supplements, although being expensive does not necessarily equate to quality, either. There are a couple of things you would need to make sure of. One is that the supplement is pure; second, that supplement has gone through molecular distillation, a process that would remove toxins from the fish. Once these two elements are present in the supplement, you are already assured of a highly effective product.

If you are having difficulty making your decision, check out the website of the supplement of your choice for some product information. However, don’t rely totally on reviews featured on the product website itself as these can be bloated. Instead, double check the information by visiting other 3rd party review sites or by making a random search of customer testimonials.

Studies on fish oil and colon cancer may be far from over, but so many people have already benefited from them.