International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Fish oil supplements may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, a new study has revealed.

The study, which was published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, asked 35,015 post-menopausal women without a history of breast cancer to complete a survey about their use of non-vitamin and non-mineral supplements.

Regular use of fish oil supplements, which contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids among other things, was linked to a 32 per cent lower risk of breast cancer.

The reduced risk appeared to be restricted to the most common type of the disease - invasive ductal breast cancer.

"It may be that the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil supplements are higher than most people would typically get from their diet," said study leader Dr Emily White of the public health sciences division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, US.

However, she warned that she could not give any recommendations as it was just the results of one study.

According to the US National Cancer Institute, there will be an estimated 207,090 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the country this year.

Posted by David Smith