Research
Mixed
Higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids does not increase the risk of cancer, nor does it significantly reduce cancer incidence.
You do not need to worry that omega-3 supplements will cause cancer, nor should you expect them to prevent it. The risk profile for cancer is neutral.
StrongRefutesHIGH confidence
Neither RCTs nor cohort studies suggested increased risk of cancer with a higher intake of omega 3 (trials: 1.07, 0.88 to 1.30; cohort studies: 1.02, 0.87 to 1.19), but clinically important harm could not be excluded.
Why this rating
Based on 10 RCTs and 7 cohort studies with consistent results (I2=0% for RCTs).
Source
Risks and benefits of omega 3 fats for mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: systematic review
Lee Hooper et al. · BMJ · 2006
DOI 10.1136/bmj.38755.366331.2f
Meta-analysis · 89 studiesCited 680×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Supplementation with long-chain or short-chain omega-3 fatty acids does not significantly reduce total mortality or combined cardiovascular events in adults, regardless of baseline cardiovascular risk.Strong
- Long-chain omega-3 fats may have an early protective effect on mortality that diminishes or reverses over longer follow-up periods, particularly in specific subgroups like men with angina.Moderate
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