Eat Fish, Reduce Cancer Risk? | Important Research

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Eat Fish, Reduce Cancer Risk?

Digestive tract cancers, notably colon and rectal cancer, are among the leading causes of death in developed countries. Research findings have linked regular fish consumption to a reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease, but less is known about the potential association with cancer of the digestive tract or other anatomical sites.

The relationship between fish consumption and cancer risk was investigated in a study that analyzed data from a series of case-control studies conducted in northern Italy from 1983 to 1996. Data were gathered on more than 7,000 confirmed neoplasms from cancer patients and compared with data from a 7,990-subject control group admitted for acute non-cancerous conditions unrelated to dietary modifications. Subjects were divided into three groups based on weekly fish consumption: less than one serving per week, one serving per week, or two or more servings per week, and relative risks were computed and compared.

Results: A consistent pattern of protection against the risk of digestive tract cancers was noted with fish consumption. Specifically, the subject group with the highest level of weekly consumption (two or more sevings per week) had lower relative risk values than the group with the lowest level of consumption: 0.5 for oral cavity, pharynx and rectum; 0.6 for esophagus and colon; and 0.7 for stomach and pancreas. No pattern of cancer risk in relation to fish consumption was observed for cancers of the liver, gallbladder, breast, bladder, kidney or thyroid, or for various lymphomas.

These findings suggest that the consumption of even relatively small quantities of fish can positively influence the development of several forms of cancer, especially those involving the digestive tract. Support for these results comes from the observation that "this association was not observed at all cancer sites or with respect to other foods such as meat, milk or cereals."

Take Note: The patients' dietary information was collected retrospectively. Patients were asked to remember how many servings of fish they ate in the year prior to cancer diagnosis. This method certainly can bias the results of the study.

Fernandez E, Chatenoud L, La Vecchia C, et al. Fish consumption and cancer risk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999:70, pp85-90.