Here’s how to make sure you’re getting the right amount.
Have dinner plans for tonight? If not, you might want to think about cooking up some fish: Consuming omega-3 fatty acids from fish may be associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer,
according to recent research out of China.Researchers analyzed 26 international cohort studies that included a total of more than 883,000 participants (and more than 20,000 cases of breast cancer). They found that, for every 100 mg per day of omega-3 fatty acids that a woman consumed, she had a 5 percent lower risk of breast cancer. One thing to keep in mind: The study was just correlational. “Evidence from either experimental or observational studies suggests a protective effect of marine n-3 PUFA (omega-3 fatty acids from fish) on breast cancer, though no conclusive results have been achieved,” the authors write in the study.
according to recent research out of China.Researchers analyzed 26 international cohort studies that included a total of more than 883,000 participants (and more than 20,000 cases of breast cancer). They found that, for every 100 mg per day of omega-3 fatty acids that a woman consumed, she had a 5 percent lower risk of breast cancer. One thing to keep in mind: The study was just correlational. “Evidence from either experimental or observational studies suggests a protective effect of marine n-3 PUFA (omega-3 fatty acids from fish) on breast cancer, though no conclusive results have been achieved,” the authors write in the study.
Omega-3s are pretty well known for their health superpowers, though, and fish are an excellent source of them—specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), two types of omega-3s that promote heart and brain health. That said, as with any nutrient, it’s possible to get too much of a good thing—in fact, another new study suggests that having excessive blood levels of omega-3s may put men at a higher risk for prostate cancer.
So how many omega-3s do you need to consume each week to reap the benefits without going overboard? About 1,750 mg, says Bethany Thayer, MS, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Henry Ford Health System. You can get that from eating about two four-ounce servings of fish, she says.
Of course, different fish vary in omega-3 content—some options like anchovies put you over the weekly recommendation with just one serving, while others, like tilapia, don’t touch a quarter of it. So use this guide as a reference for what you’ll get in a typical four-ounce serving. (And remember: Even if a fish isn’t crazy-high in omega-3s, it likely still offers a lot of other health-boosting nutritional content, like protein, potassium, and vitamin B12, says Thayer.)
