There is little, if any, guidance for consumers who wish to use supplements to help in disease prevention and treatment especially, when it comes to the fight against cancer and its prevention. Studies have repeatedly found cancer prevention properties in different types of foods and the nutrients that they contain. Several schools of Epidemiology have found consistent proof that diets high in fruits and vegetables can prevent certain types of cancer and reduce the incidence in other types. The newest evidence shows that fish oil can also provide some protection against mouth, pharynx, lung, stomach, esophageal, colon, rectum, bladder and breast cancers.

With more than 200,000 diagnosed breast cancer cases per year and 40,000 or more deaths from this disease, women deserve the best nutritional information available in order to stave off this killer. Mainstream medicine is often quick to dismiss nutritional avenues for disease prevention but in the case of breast and most other cancers, even the mainstream medical community is looking to the foods we eat to help in this fight. As more physicians accept the beneficial part of nutrition in the fight against breast cancer, supplements like fish oil will gain a wider foothold and the benefits can be seen in a wider segment of the population. In a study called VITAL (Vitamin and Lifestyle Cohort Study) those respondents who took fish oil on a regular basis (counted as 3 or more times per week) were shown to have a 32% reduction in breast cancers.

The women who took part in the study were all between the ages of 50 and 76 and had never shown signs of breast cancer. They completed questionnaires concerning their lifestyle and supplements taken and the group was followed over a period of 9 years. During the follow-up period 880 women were diagnosed with breast cancer out of over 35,000 participating women. The women who had been taking the fish oil supplements containing high levels of EPA and DHA (greater than 1 gram per day) showed a one-third reduction in the incidence of cancers. The American Association for Cancer Research scored this as a significant finding for which they were not prepared. Out of the total number of supplements taken by the participants, the fish oil showed some of the most promising benefits.

A number of natural medicine publications have picked up on this and have begun to investigate other studies looking for links to a reduction in breast cancers. Over the years fish oil has been shown to have some excellent health benefits including protecting the heart (heart disease is the number 2 killer among women), reducing the effects of aging (such as memory loss, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and depression), and strengthening bones and joints. The important nutrient found in fish oil is EPA and DHA. These two molecules are two that must be gotten from your diet as the body cannot synthesize these from any thing else. An alternate essential acid is ALA but in order for the body to use it, it must first be converted to DHA and the body is not efficient at this process.

The best dietary sources of fish oil come from cold-water fish normally referred to as fatty fish. These include salmon, tuna, mackerel, cod, herring, sardines, and anchovies. Chia seeds, sunflower seeds, kelp, and olive are excellent vegetable sources of these essential fatty acids. However, many people find it easier to take a fish oil supplement that provides a high dose of EPA and DHA (greater than 1 gram per day) in purified capsule form to avoid the possibility of any heavy metal contamination. Quality sources of fish oil and omega-3 supplements are available from many retailers.