SELECT not an omega-3 study

Recently the results from a study started in 2004 has grabbed the media’s attention concerning a link between omega 3 and prostate cancer in men. As in many cases when popular media finds a hot button subject with some supposedly scientific controversy the reportage gets out of hand, scaring people with inflammatory headlines.

This has been the case with coverage of the “Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk in the SELECT Trial” or commonly referred to as the select study. I’ve been seeing headlines and posts online reading “Link between Omega-3 and prostate cancer confirmed” and “Omega 3 increases cancer risk.” None of this is true, so I thought I better reach out so that you can have a full understanding of this study and its results.

First of all the SELECT study was not a study on Omega -3 and cancer but was setup to test the effects of Vitamin E and Selenium on cancer production in men 50 years and older. The Omega -3 blood test was added to the study almost as an after thought.

Since the test wasn’t specifically set up to measure omega-3 there were no controls in place to regulate and track the sources of omega 3 in the subjects blood. Consequently there is no way to tell if the omega-3 was gained from a high quality triglyceride based supplement or from a series of Friday night fish fries which of course carries its own problems.

Serious problems with the study set up.

Already this makes the study scientifically irrelevant when it comes to any results regarding omega-3. Since the SELECT study has garnered so much media attention it has also drawn a great deal of criticism on its methodology and conclusions.

The results of this one non-specific study are in complete opposition to the mass of research conducted over the past decade. To date over 500,000 men have participated in studies proving that omega-3s REDUCE the risk of prostate cancer.

Since the release of the study top researchers on the subject have written white papers and posts outlining their concerns with the results including this quote by Dr. Anthony D’Amico, Chief of GI Radiation Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. ” (SELECT)…left out some very important risk factors of prostate cancer…So what you’re left with at the end of the day is an association that at best is very weak and further weakened by the fact that they didn’t account for the known predictors of prostate cancer.”

Among the many problems with the SELECT results is that they took only one blood sample to establish a base-line for omega-3 in the participants. This only reflects what they consumed a few days before the test was drawn.

This is very important, since cancer takes many years to develop. Some men that did have higher levels may have started taking fish oil supplements only recently, and some may have simply eaten a large piece of fish the night before the blood test.

Also the difference of Omega 3 levels in the blood of those who developed prostate cancer and those who didn’t are minute. The study shows that overall the men diagnosed with prostate cancer averaged 4.66 percent of total fatty acids; in men without cancer, the average was 4.48 percent. This is a very small difference, and likely reflects an insignificant difference in omega-3 intake.

Not a study on Omega-3 fish oil supplements

As mentioned already there was no control or confirmation of either dietary or supplemental intake of fish oil in the patients. This is so important because there is no way to know what kind of fish were being eaten and therefore what additional risk factors the fish brought with them. Were the fish fried? was is it majority large predatory fish which contains high levels of carcinogens? What was the overall diet of the participant?

Nor was there any confirmation of fish oil supplements that may have been taken. As anyone who reads my blog knows I’m a great advocate of omega-3 fish oil supplements but I’m also wholly against most of the available supplements on the market.

Most fish oil supplements are made in the ethyl ester form and are highly susceptible to going bad (oxidizing) before they can be used. Take a fish oil supplement and open it to smell and taste the oil, if it tastes or smells foul the oil is rancid.

Rancid fish oil in supplements is no different than rancid fish on a plate; it smells bad and tastes bad and both are potentially dangerous. Omega-3s are highly unstable fats, very susceptible to oxidation, forming lipid peroxides and starting a chain of oxidation reactions, oxidation of fats in the blood are a leading cause of heart disease and cancer.

I always stress when shopping for a omega-3 fish oil supplement to make it sure it is made from wild caught prey fish and comes in the much more stable and easier to digest triglyceride form. Also to check the label for EPA/DHA percentages, you want at least 500 mg in each gelcap.

The Conclusion

The SELECT study was not an Omega-3 supplement study. Media latched on to this study because of the attention that linking a popular health catchword like omega -3 with a scare word like cancer creates.

There is nothing in the peripheral blood testing for omega-3 taken from participants of the SELECT study to definitely or even anecdotaly connect Omega-3 with developing prostate or any other cancer. In fact the body of tests and literature developed over the last decade positively show a correlation between omega 3′s anti inflammatory properties and a reduced risk of cancer not to mention its wealth of other health benefits.

I hope this important post has gone some way in clearing up any confusion that this unfortunate media coverage has created. I invite you to look further into the scientific reaction to the SELECT results, here are some links to follow up on.

Author David McMahon has spent 20 years in the medical device, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. He is the author of several studies published in major clinical journals and is a sought after speaker who is often interviewed on national radio. He is also the founder and President of Solana Health Inc, which provides Cardiol, a one-a-day capsule combining 9 natural ingredients to manage cholesterol and triglycerides as well as Vitality Ultra Pure Omega-3. Visit www.cardiol.net to learn more.

1 Rozen, TD, Oshinsky, ML, Gebeline, CA, Bradley, KC, Young, WB, Shechter, AL & Silberstein, SD. “Open label trial of coenzyme Q10 as a migraine preventive.” Cephalalgia 22 (2) 137-141.