text_1: Choose Omega-3s from fish over flax for cancer prevention, study finds
text_2: This news release reports on a study of tumor growth in mice with an aggressive form of breast cancer who were fed varying types of omega-3s. The news release offers plenty of unwarranted medical advice such as “choose omega-3s from fish over flax for cancer prevention” while failing to caution about the limitations of using mouse studies to predict human outcomes. The study points out that previous research has focused on the protective role of eating fish and other marine life against breast cancer, with little evidence regarding the impact of plant sources of omega-3s. Yet there’s no conclusive evidence that eating fish reduces cancer risk, and no mouse study can prove otherwise. News releases shouldn’t extrapolate from the evidence as this one does by conferring benefits seen in a few unusual mice onto all humans looking to prevent any form of cancer. Such misleading news releases tend to produce misleading coverage such as the Daily Mail’s Salmon may help to prevent breast cancer more than flax seeds as scientists discover fish-source omega 3 fatty acids prohibit tumor growth by up to 70%.