Bite Size Health
In this blog post, I will share the latest, scientific information about nutrition, movement and health in a bite-size manner. This post is how supplementing with fish oil reduces the risk of skin cancer.
Supplementing with Fish Oil Reduces Sun Burn, Skin Inflammation, and Risk of Skin Cancer!
Rhodes, E. et al. (2003) Effect of Eicosapentaenoic Acid [EPA], an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, on UVR-related cancer risk in humans: An assessment of early genotoxic markers (Review). Carcinogenesis Vol 24 (5): 919-925
Quote Board:
“Sunburn sensitivity was reduced on EPA. Moreover, UVR-induced skin p53 expression, assessed immunohistochemically at 24 h post-UVR exposure, fell from a mean of 16 (SD 5) positive cells/100 epidermal cells at baseline to 8 (4) after EPA supplementation, P < 0.01.”
“In conclusion, we have demonstrated that EPA and DHA [from fish oil] reduce basal and UVB-induced IL-8 secretion by keratinocytes and fibroblasts in vitro, and that these n-3 PUFA are also capable of suppressing TNF-a-induced IL-8 secretion in keratinocytes.
Since IL-8 is a powerful chemoattractant with important roles in UVB-induced inflammation and more broadly in skin inflammation, these effects are likely to be important in the protection conveyed by n-3 PUFA.”
“Reduction in this range of early markers, i.e. sunburn, UVR-induced p53 in skin and strand breaks in PBL, indicate protection by dietary EPA against acute UVR-induced genotoxicity; longer-term supplementation might reduce skin cancer in humans.”
What you need to know
The scientific literature indicates that risk of skin cancer is increased primarily from the damage and inflammation resulting from sun BURN not the tanning of skin resulting from regular sun exposure.
Research shows that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil not only makes skin healthier and more elastic and attractive looking, it also provides protection against sunburn, skin cell damage, and inflammation, and, thus, reduces the risk of skin cancer.
What you need to do
You need to ensure that you and your family are sufficient in omega-3 fatty acids.
Not only is sufficiency in omega-3 fatty acids important for brain and heart health, it is essential for skin health and for protection against sunburn, skin damage, and skin cancer.
As mentioned previously, make sure you buy pharmaceutical grade fish oil when supplementing.
Please do not supplement with any random fish oil but go for one which has a very high EPA content for the first three to six months, then move on to something which has a balanced EPA and DHA content.
The body only has a limited capacity for digesting fish oil, so it is vital you supplement with a fish oil which has a high in EPA concentration.
The fish oil also needs to be of pharmaceutical grade, and ultrapure so the pollutants are distilled out.
We recommend this supplement from the Cambridge based company Igennus. Make sure you use the discount code MILTONCHIRO at the checkout for a 20% discount.
Yours in health,
The team at Fornham Chiropractic Clinic
