Eating oily fish 'cuts risk of death from bowel cancer', research suggests

Bowel cancer patients who consumed more than 0.3g of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in food such as oily fish, were found to have a 41 per cent less chance of dying from bowel cancer

Oily fish are a rich source of Omega-3 (Getty Images)

People with bowel cancer who eat oily fish may cut their chances of dying from the disease, research has suggested.

It is thought survival rate may be boosted by having a rich Omega-3 diet, which is abundant in oily fish. Research, published in the journal Gut, analysed data from 1,659 people with bowel cancer along with how much Omega-3 they consumed.

Researchers focused on the presence of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which previous research has indicated may suppress the growth of cancer tumours and curb blood supply to cancer cells.

The scientists found those who consumed PUFAs of at least 0.3g per day had 41 per cent less chance of dying from bowel cancer than those who consumed less than just 0.1g per day.

Patients who increased their PUFA intake by at least 0.15g per day after being diagnosed with cancer had a 70% reduced chance of dying from bowel cancer compared with those who did not change their intake.

Meanwhile, a reduction in daily intake of omega-3 was associated with a 10% increased risk of death from the disease.

Omega-3 intake, however, was not linked to a lower risk of death overall from any cause.

The authors concluded: “If replicated by other studies, our results support the clinical recommendation of increasing marine omega-3 PUFAs among patients with bowel cancer.”

With additional reporting by PA