DR. Sears' response to the prostate study press.
From: Dave Schreck [mailto:dave@zonehealth.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2013 3:02 PM
To: Becky Price
Subject: RE: Fish Study
Hi Becky,
Yes, we've been bombarded…
Barry's response is attached and it also appears at: http://www.zonediet.com/blog/
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Dave
From: Becky Price [mailto:becky@ppricelaw.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2013 3:16 PM
To: Dave Schreck
Subject: FW: Fish Study
Dave- You are probably getting bombarded with this question, what is Dr. Sears' response?
Becky
Becky Bailes Price
My cell: 361-442-9308 | becky@ppricelaw.com
From: Bill Price [mailto:weprice@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2013 1:49 PM
To: Paul Price; Becky Price
Subject: Fish Study
The two stories below are all over Fox and the national print media. This study is said to apply only to men. What think you? One the main Fox docs who has supported taking fish oil said he though men should stop pending further studies.
Fish Oil May Raise Prostate Cancer Risk
Increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which is widely promoted as a way to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer, may increase the risk of prostate cancer (PCa), especially aggressive disease, according to a study that confirms the findings of previous investigations.
Theodore M. Brasky, PhD, of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus, and colleagues studied 2,198 men enrolled in the SELECT (Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial). Of these, 834 were diagnosed with PCa (156 with high-grade disease) and 1,364 were not. Compared with men in the lowest quartile of total long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, those in the highest quartile had a 44% and 71% increased risk of low- and high-grade disease, respectively, and a 43% increased risk of any PCa, Dr. Brasky's team reported online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The researchers calculated the total long-chain omega-3 fatty acid level as the sum of eicosapentaenoic (EPA), dodosapentaenoic (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), which are derived from oily fish and fish oil supplements. High levels of each of these fatty acids were associated with an increased PCa risk. High levels of EPA were associated with an increased risk of low-grade PCa. High levels of DPA and DHA were associated with an increased risk of low-grade and total PCa.
The new findings corroborate those of a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by Dr. Brasky and colleagues in 2011. That study examined data from men enrolled in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. Compared with men in the lowest quartile of serum DHA, those in the highest quartile had a 2.5 times increased risk of high-grade PCa. The study also found that high serum levels of trans-fatty acids were associated with a decreased risk of high-grade disease.
The researchers said it is unclear from the present study why high levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids would increase PCa, but the replication of this finding in two large studies indicates the need for further research into possible mechanisms. One potentially harmful effect of omega-3 fatty acids is their conversion into compounds that can cause damage to cells and DNA, and their role in immunosuppression.
The SELECT trial enrolled 35,533 men who were randomly assigned to take vitamin E alone, selenium alone, and vitamin E in combination with selenium. Results showed that men who took vitamin E alone had a significant 17% increased risk of PCa compared with placebo recipients after a total follow-up of seven years. Men who took both vitamin E and selenium did not have an increased risk.
Study confirms link between high blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer
Consumption of fatty fish and fish-oil supplements linked to 71 percent higher risk
Dr. Alan Kristal
Senior author Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., is a member of the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutch.
SEATTLE – July 10, 2013 – A second large, prospective study by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has confirmed the link between high blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids and an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Published in the online edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the latest findings indicate that high concentrations of EPA, DPA and DHA – the three anti-inflammatory and metabolically related fatty acids derived from fatty fish and fish-oil supplements – are associated with a 71 percent increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer. The study also found a 44 percent increase in the risk of low-grade prostate cancer and an overall 43 percent increase in risk for all prostate cancers.
The increase in risk for high-grade prostate cancer is important because those tumors are more likely to be fatal.
The findings confirm a 2011 study published by the same Fred Hutch scientific team that reported a similar link between high blood concentrations of DHA and a more than doubling of the risk for developing high-grade prostate cancer. The latest study also confirms results from a large European study.
"The consistency of these findings suggests that these fatty acids are involved in prostate tumorigenesis and recommendations to increase long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake, in particular through supplementation, should consider its potential risks," the authors wrote.
"We've shown once again that use of nutritional supplements may be harmful," said Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., the paper's senior author and member of the Fred Hutch Public Health Sciences Division. Kristal also noted a recent analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that questioned the benefit of omega-3 supplementation for cardiovascular diseases. The analysis, which combined the data from 20 studies, found no reduction in all-cause mortality, heart attacks or strokes.
Dr. Theodore Braskey
Corresponding author Theodore Brasky, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, was a postdoctoral trainee at Fred Hutch when the research was conducted.
"What's important is that we have been able to replicate our findings from 2011 and we have confirmed that marine omega-3 fatty acids play a role in prostate cancer occurrence," said corresponding author Theodore Brasky, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center who was a postdoctoral trainee at Fred Hutch when the research was conducted. "It's important to note, however, that these results do not address the question of whether omega-3's play a detrimental role in prostate cancer prognosis," he said.
Kristal said the findings in both Fred Hutch studies were surprising because omega-3 fatty acids are believed to have a host of positive health effects based on their anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation plays a role in the development and growth of many cancers.
It is unclear from this study why high levels of omega-3 fatty acids would increase prostate cancer risk, according to the authors, however the replication of this finding in two large studies indicates the need for further research into possible mechanisms. One potentially harmful effect of omega-3 fatty acids is their conversion into compounds that can cause damage to cells and DNA, and their role in immunosuppression. Whether these effects impact cancer risk is not known.
The difference in blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids between the lowest and highest risk groups was about 2.5 percentage points (3.2 percent vs. 5.7 percent), which is somewhat larger than the effect of eating salmon twice a week, Kristal said.
The current study analyzed data and specimens collected from men who participated in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), a large randomized, placebo-controlled trial to test whether selenium and vitamin E, either alone or combined, reduced prostate cancer risk. That study showed no benefit from selenium intake and an increase in prostate cancers in men who took vitamin E.
The group included in the this analysis consisted of 834 men who had been diagnosed with incident, primary prostate cancers (156 were high-grade cancer) along with a comparison group of 1,393 men selected randomly from the 35,500 participants in SELECT.
The National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine funded the research.
Also participating in the study were additional Fred Hutch scientists and researchers from the University of Texas, University of California, University of Washington, National Cancer Institute and the Cleveland Clinic.
Editor's note: Please contact Kristen Woodward, Fred Hutch media relations, to schedule interviews and to obtain an embargoed copy of the paper, "Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial."
# # #
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation's first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women's Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit www.fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
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