Taking a regular dose of fish oil rich in omega-3 could help protect against skin cancer, a new study has claimed.
The University of Manchester researchers carried out the first clinical trial to examine the impact of the fish oil on the skin immunity of volunteers.
The study found that taking a regular dose of fish oil boosted skin immunity to sunlight. Specifically, it also reduced sunlight-induced suppression of the immune system, known as immunosuppression, which affects the body's ability to fight skin cancer and infection.
Led by Professor Lesley Rhodes, Professor of Experimental Dermatology from the Photobiology Unit Dermatology Centre at the University, researchers analysed the effect of taking omega-3 on 79 healthy volunteers.
"There has been research in this area carried out on mice in the past but this is the first time that there has been a clinical trial directly in people," Rhodes said.
"This study adds to the evidence that omega-3 is a potential nutrient to protect against skin cancer," she said.
"Although the changes we found when someone took the oil were small, they suggest that a continuous low level of chemoprevention from taking omega-3 could reduce the risk of skin cancer over an individual's lifetime," she said in a statement.
Patients who volunteered for the trial took a 4g dose of omega-3, which is about one and a half portions of oily fish, daily and were then exposed to the equivalent of either 8, 15 or 30 minutes of summer midday sun in Manchester using a special light machine.
Other patients took a placebo, before being exposed to the light machine. Immunosuppression was 50 per cent lower in people who took the supplement and were exposed to 8 and 15 minutes of sun compared with people who did not take the supplement.
The study showed little influence on those in the 30 minute group.
Rhodes, who also works at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, stressed that the omega-3 was not a substitute for sunscreen and physical protection, and that omega-3 should be regarded as an additional small measure to help protect skin from sun damage.
Rhodes' team is now continuing their research with further omega-3 studies being carried out on healthy volunteers at Salford Royal.
The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
