Fish Oil Study 2013 Results: Prostate Cancer 71 Percent More Likely For People With High Levels Of Omega-3, Most Popular Supplement In U.S.

A 2013 fish oil study results show that prostate cancer risks may increase for those who take fish oil supplements. Fish oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids, and though the supplement has benefits, the study results show that fish oil, the most popular supplement in the United States, may also have its risks too.

Fish oil is the most popular supplement in the United States, according to Time magazine, and the Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to help everything from your heart, joints, and skin, UPI reports.

But now a fish oil study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that people with high levels of fishy Omega-3's had a 71 percent higher risk of developing high-grade prostate cancer, according to UPI. They have a 41 percent risk of developing any kind of prostate cancer.

These risky Omega-3s are found in high levels in oily fish such as salmon, trout and fresh tuna, MSN reports. However, fatty acids found in vegetable oils, flaxseeds and other vegetable sources did not affect prostate cancer risk, the researchers found, CNBC reports.

The study's author, Dr. Theodore Brasky, said that the effects of fish oil are complex.

"It's not that omega-3s are harmful, but that the fatty acids may have more complex effects on the body than previously thought," Brasky said. "We have this tendency to talk about good foods and bad foods, good nutrients and bad nutrients."

Brasky, who says he still eats fish once in a while, warned that "men should be wary of getting too much of the nutrient."

"These fish oil supplements in which some men getting mega, mega doses...in our opinion that is probably a little bit dangerous," he added.

The American Heart Association recommends that people with heart disease, which is far more common than prostate cancer, should eat fish twice a week and may even need fish oil capsules.