Omega 3 oils help PREVENT cancer and are too valuable to not have....

Today's Post:  Thursday, 7-18-2013

Saw a report of a study a few days ago saying that getting an abundant amount of omega 3 oils tended to slightly boost the risk of the aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Since I know that the omega 3 oil DHA causes nerve and brain cell growth by causing the release of a hormone that does so, BDNF just like regular and vigorous exercise, it occurred to me that in some people that could go bad.

But since I value the large number of benefits such as preventing mental decline research says DHA & other marine based omega oils supply AND I do things to prevent all cancer, prevent prostate cancer, and prevent aggressive prostate cancer, I decided not worry about it.

I.  But a friend who has concerns about prostate cancer sent it to me for my comments.

And, since then I got some information about this study that suggests it was paid for disinformation based on incompetent analysis of the data. In fact, that looks quite likely because that study found things they stated as facts they found that multiple studies by competent researchers found to be exactly the opposite in real, unbiased studies!

Here’s what I sent my friend first: 

“Do NOT stop your fish oil.

This study is quite possibly not accurate and worth ignoring in my view.

Here's why:

1.  The discussion in this study includes that a study found vitamin E increased the risk of prostate cancer.

THAT study found no such thing it turns out!

Instead of studying natural vitamin E in normal doses and foods, that study examined the cheap man-made version of vitamin E that is NOT bioidentical and worse was previously known to have some side effects.  Even worse, they only looked at a double dose of it.

Natural alpha tocopherol when studied REDUCED the risk of prostate cancer when studied separately.

And, the gamma tocopherol version that is abundant in the pecans I eat, is even more effective at cutting prostate cancer risk!

The headline that vitamin E boosted the risk of prostate cancer was totally false in short.

Was this a simple mistake caused by inappropriate penny pinching?  Maybe.  But there is some evidence that it was part of a deliberate disinformation campaign to discredit supplements in the eyes of doctors and the less well informed public by the drug companies.

2.  Now this comes out saying that omega 3 is not heart protective and that taking it causes aggressive prostate cancer.

The first part of that is false.  And there is reason to believe the second part is false also.

High chronic inflammation causes heart disease and multiplies the effect of other causes of heart disease and increases the risk of many cancers.

(Omega 3 oils help prevent that or turn it down!)

To me the fact that this quotes that flawed "vitamin E" study makes the whole thing highly suspect.  My guess is that closer examination of this study will find similar flaws.

3.  If there IS such an effect because the oxidant effect of high omega 3 intake causes it, does that happen in people who eat foods high in antioxidants and take antioxidant supplements such as vitamin C and natural vitamin E and selenium?  I very seriously doubt it!

Both natural vitamin E and selenium REDUCE the risk of prostate cancer instead. 

4.  Given the very real benefits of omega 3 oils from fish, if there is some boost that's real after that, I think doing the other things that prevent prostate cancer such as avoiding tobacco smoke and taking curcumin and prevent aggressive prostate cancer such as eating raw broccoli & cauliflower is a better choice than losing the omega 3 benefits.

Next I added this:

II.  More thoughts on vitamin E and omega 3 supplements:

1.  Wrote last time about the research that, in the headlines, said vitamin E caused prostate cancer.  It did NOT.  What it found was that the cheap and inaccurate copy of natural vitamin E did so.  The real studies of natural vitamin E found it mildly protective in that regard.

And, the alpha tocopherol that is often called vitamin is only the best known of the EIGHT parts of the vitamin E complex.  There are four tocopherols and four tocotrienols.  (From Wikipedia:  "vitamin E is made up of four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta")

Good for you foods such as extra virgin olive oil, avocados, and raw unsalted and un-oiled tree nuts have different mixes of the entire vitamin E complex.  I eat all of those!

Gamma tocopherol is strongly preventive of prostate cancer by the way.  It's high in pecans.  Do I eat raw pecans?  I certainly do!

Solgar makes a 200 iu of alpha tocopherol vitamin E with the natural form AND some mix of the other 3 natural tocopherols.  I take that once a day.

There is research suggesting that taking 400 iu or more a day may overdo its blood thinning effects with 800 or more very likely NOT a good idea.

I actually like that since it saves me money by not buying extra of something where the optimum intake is less!

2.  To put it simply, the omega 3 oils from wild caught fish & purified fish oil & the plankton and algae the fish get it from is too valuable in so many ways it simply is NOT wise in my view to not eat it and take it.

The psychological effects are extremely valuable!!

People who get an ample supply of omega 3 oils are less easily overstressed. 

They are much less irritable.  I MAKE SURE I take it AND Abbie takes it! (She is my wife.)

They are less likely to get depressed.

Ample supply of the DHA omega 3 oil boosts intelligence and prevents brain shrinkage and prevents mental decline because it causes the release of the nerve and brain cell growth hormone BDNF.

People evolved to get a ratio of one or two parts of omega 6 oil to one part of omega 3 oil.

But the average American gets 12 to 24 to one omega 6 to omega 3! 

Grains are high in omega 6.  The average American eats dramatically too much grain food with most of it high glycemic low fiber refined GMO wheat flour that also contains gluten.  They don't know to avoid the very high omega 6 oils from corn, soy, and safflower.  And, canola is too high in omega 6 also.  Those oils are also from mostly GMO crops. Corn and soy and canola are almost all GMO with canola 96% GMO.

But it gets even worse!  The average American eats tons of beef -- mostly as hamburger.  And those cattle are grown fast and extra large in part by force feeding them a diet almost exclusively made up of GMO corn.  So their fat is very high in omega 6 oils and bioconcentrated pesticides and herbicides.

The omega 6 oils in them is in the fat.  That's why for grain fed animals, removing most of the fat and buying leaner or leanest versions in the first place and eating less each have positive health effects!

The resulting very high chronic inflammation is a direct cause of heart disease and both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

So to be in the healthy range -- AND avoid those diseases! -- you need basically to eliminate 95 to 100 % of those foods; eat NO wheat or at worst once a week; eat far less of even whole grains -- AND eat wild caught fish at least twice a week that is high in omega 3 oils and take omega 3 supplements daily and it looks like taking extra DHA is wise.

So, instead of giving up that huge set of extremely valuable benefits and health and mental protections, IF there is a bad effect on prostate cancer, I would do exactly as I am now! 

Keep getting those effects from the natural omega threes and DHA I get now AND keep doing the very large list of things I do to prevent cancer, prevent prostate cancer, and prevent aggressive prostate cancer.

Lastly, given the negative interest of the drug companies in letting people stay healthy by taking supplements --

 and the horrible example of the "vitamin E" study, I am far from convinced this research on omega 3 was done right or accurate in its conclusion.

To be fair, since DHA boosts the desirable growth hormone BDNF, it's possible that in some people that hormone or other normally desirable growth hormones it may boost is processed in a way that helps aggressive prostate cancer grow once it's established.

If THAT is established, it might make sense to stop omega 3 oils when treating aggressive prostate cancer.

In my view, cutting out the very high values and benefits of taking omega 3 oils otherwise is really unwise!

III. Then I found another analysis of the original study that shows it was deliberately quoted to say it helped show supplements were undesirable.  And I then wrote him this:

Got this in a recent that includes some of the real studies showing the opposite of the recent bogus study.

http://www.anh-usa.org/flawed-study-fish-oil-cancer/

Thought so AGAIN!

Note that it contained this:  "....the paper’s senior author made the following blanket statement in a press release: “We’ve shown once again that use of nutritional supplements may be harmful."

GOTCHA!  This study WAS deliberate and inaccurate disinformation paid for by the drug companies to discredit supplements.

He states what they PAID him to say.

Meanwhile it's comforting to read the reverse information by the honest and real studies of people eating fish and taking omega 3 supplements.”