Omega 3 may curb colon polyps

LEEDS, England, March 18 (UPI) -- Omega 3 -- in the form of eicosapentaenoic acid -- may help curb colon polyps, British researchers said.

Mark Hull of the University of Leeds and colleagues found this purified form of omega 3 cut the number and size of precancerous colon growths in people genetically predisposed to them.

The study, published ahead of print in the journal Gut, was based on 55 patients who had previously undergone surgery for familial adenomatous polyposis and were being monitored. Twenty-eight of the patients were randomly assigned to six months of omega 3 treatment and the other 27 were given a placebo.

The researchers found the number of polyps increased by almost 10 percent in the placebo group but fell by more than 12 percent among those treated with the Omega 3 -- representing a difference of almost 22.5 percent.

Also, polyp size increased by more than 17 percent among those in the placebo group but fell by more than 12.5 percent in the eicosapentaenoic acid group -- representing a difference of just under 30 percent.