A new study suggests a specific gene determines whether omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are effective in lowering -- or raising -- the risk of colon cancer. File Photo by Billie Jean Shaw/UPI
About 19 million U.S. adults take fish oil supplements, often to protect against chronic diseases. But new research suggests their ability to lower colon cancer risk may depend on a single gene.
Scientists at the University of Michigan and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that the gene 15-lipoxygenase-1, or ALOX15, is critical for omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, known as EPA and DHA, to fight colon cancer.
The study -- recently published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology -- showed that without ALOX15, fish oil could actually raise the risk of colon tumors in mice.
"Not all fish oil supplements are the same," senior researcher Imad Shureiqi, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, said in a news release.
