Those consuming over 3 portions of fish in a week have lower risk of developing bowel cancer, says a new study.
Bowel cancer accounts for nearly 16,000 deaths each year in the United Kingdom. In fact, it is the 4th common type of cancer in the country.
For the study, researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer gathered data of around 476,160 people from Europe for fifteen years. The findings of the study showed that there was 12 percent lower chances of bowel cancer among regular fish consumer. Both oily and lean fish were linked with lowering the risk of colorectal cancer; however, no association was seen in the event of shellfish.
An average Brits consumes nearly 1 and a half portion of fish weekly. As such, the study adds to the scientific evidence that inculcating more portions of fish in the diet might help lower the chances of developing bowel cancer.
However, as this is the first study to analyse the association between bowel cancer and broader fish consumption in such big population, further research is needed, said Dr. Anna Diaz Font from the World Cancer Research Fund that funded the study.