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The benefits of a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids have already been discussed many times on the pages of Eurosalus (see the related news on the right for more in-depth reading).

These polyunsaturated fats are particularly abundant in fish, most of all in blue fish (tuna, sardines, anchovies, herring, mackerel) and in salmon.  They are well known for their protective action on the cardiovascular system, cancer prevention and even their stimulating effect on infant intelligence, even though scientific research in this area still has much to discover.

As a matter of fact, new revelations about omega-3 are coming out at a fast pace.  For example, some interesting news was released by the Wake Forest University medical school in North Carolina.  This study on laboratory animals was first published on-line and later appeared in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Investigation (Berquin IM et al, J Clin Invest 2007 Jul;117(7):1866-75).

The research was conducted on a population of predisposed (by way of the elimination of a gene) male rats that had a high risk of contracting prostate cancer. Those animals that were fed a diet rich in omega-3 had a mortality rate that was much inferior to the others. The difference is quite revealing and leaves little room for doubt: 60% survival rate among those who ate fish against 10% in the other group.

It's understood that a test performed on laboratory animals is approximate: most of all it suggests that perhaps the research (clearly with other methods) should be extended to human beings. At any rate the data are encouraging.

However, we don't need to wait for the results of other studies to be encouraged to eat sardines, tuna and anchovies.  Our taste buds are more than willing to oblige.  It's also comforting to know that their cost is relatively low.

Italian version of this article available