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Omega-3s on Cancer Patients

Omega-3

Omega-3s on Cancer Patients; NYU Research
Aoife Ryan, assistant professor of nutrition, recently published a study in the Annals of Surgey demonstrating the benefits of omega-3 enriched nutrition for surgical cancer patients. Omega-3 fats are essential fats found naturally in oily fish, but recently food manufacturers have begun to add them to foods such as yogurt, milk, juice, eggs, and infant formula.

Ryan's controlled trial showed that oral nutritional supplements with omega-3 fatty acids resulted in preservation of muscle mass in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer, a procedure normally associated with significant weight loss.

"The results are intriguing, as no previous study of nutritional support in the per-operative period has revealed such a benefit," said Ryan. "Initial treatments like this may be cost-effective for our cash-strapped health care system," said Ryan.