In a recent study published by the American Association for Cancer Research, more than 35,000 women aged 50-76 participated in a questionnaire which asked about their uses of vitamins and supplements in their day-to-day nutrition.

After 6 years, 880 of these women had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The study found, however, that women who took Omega 3 supplements regularly had a 32% less tendency to be diagnosed with breast cancer, than those who didn’t take Omega 3 supplements on a regular basis.  While this is not a clinical study, and therefore can’t be used to conclusively prove a link between Omega 3 and breast cancer, the numbers are extremely suggestive and fascinating.

I’ve mentioned the importance of a good ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6 intake in the past.  This week, I found an interesting piece of research done on the relationship of LA (the Omega 6 primary EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) and counterpart of Omega 3 ALA) and absorption of EPA and DHA in the body.  In this study, 30 male volunteers were given Omega 3 fish-oil supplements (which contain only EPA and DHA, but not ALA) over a seven week period.  They were all kept on diets low in saturated fats, but half were given food high in LA by using margarine as a spread and polyunsaturated oils for cooking. The other half used butter and olive oil which are low in LA.

The experiment showed clear results that EPA and DHA absorption was greater in the group with low LA consumption than those with high LA consumption.

Psoriasis is a disease caused by the immune system, in which the immune system sends out faulty signals to skin cells causing them to rapidly accumulate.  The areas on the body where these cells accumulate get a silvery-white appearance of plaque over red inflamed skin.  Psoriasis is a chronic disease, so even after successful treatment, it’s apt to come back at any time.  In addition, 10-15% of people diagnosed with psoriasis also tend to develop arthritic psoriasis, causing joint pains.

One of the effects of Omega 3 EPA is that it acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.  Thus, there is speculation that it can help offset the symptoms caused by psoriasis.  A study conducted in Europe during the late 1990′s in which fish oil was delivered by intravenous into the blood stream showed a 50% improvement in patients diagnosed with severe psoriasis in contrast with patients who didn’t receive it.

In another study, Etretinate was taken in conjunction with Omega 3 EPA.  Etretinate is a drug used to treat psoriasis, but was taken off the shelves in the late 1990′s because the recommended dose causes dangerous side effects.  Around the same time, researchers from Shiga University in Japan found that if Etretinate is taken in conjunction with EPA, the same results could be obtained with a 50-70% reduced Etretinate dosage.

Finally, a third study in Argentina actually showed that topically applying EPA rich oil also alleviated symptoms when applied directly to inflamed skin.