Belchertown, MA
A 63-year-old male asked:
In addition to eating salmon, i take fish oil caps because of family history of alzheimer's. should i give them up because of link to prostate cancer?
2 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Bennett Werneranswered
Cardiology 46 years experience
Yes and no: The evidence that suggests there is a protective effect from fish oil against alzheimer's is weak and tentative. I wouldn't take it for that indication. While we're at it, the link showing reduced heart disease is weak too. The strong link is eating fish. Your salmon is good.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Ed Friedlander commented
Pathology 46 years experience
Dr. Werner is correct, and I'm also totally unimpressed with the new claim about a link to prostate cancer. Especially when the claim makes no sense biologically, look for a confounding variable. Perhaps people who take fish oil capsules / eat fish are more health conscious, go to the doctor more, and get prostate cancer diagnosed more often. Generally, be skeptical about "health news items" that show correlations that don't make sense -- they're generally not a good guide to planning your life. Enjoy eating your salmon for its own sake.
Jul 18, 2013
Dr. Calvin Weisbergeranswered
53 years experience
Fish oil: The fish oil link to prostatic ca is not proven as far as I am aware.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Nov 2, 2015
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