Fish oil study links supplement to higher prostate cancer risk

Health conscious people take fish oil supplements for the Omega-3 fatty acids thought to benefit everything from your heart to your skin, but a new study claims the popular pills could actually be risky for men.

Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the study found that people with high levels of fishy Omega-3's (not those derived from plants or other sources) had a 71 percent higher risk of developing high-grade prostate cancer. They have a 41 percent risk of developing any kind of prostate cancer.

According to Time magazine, fish oil is the most popular supplement in the United States.

The study's author, Dr. Theodore Brasky said that supplements have "more complex" negative and positive effects than you might think.

It’s not that omega-3s are harmful, but that the fatty acids may have more complex effects on the body than previously thought. “We have this tendency to talk about good foods and bad foods, good nutrients and bad nutrients.

“These fish oil supplements in which some men getting mega, mega doses…in our opinion that is probably a little bit dangerous,” he added.

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