According to a recent study published in the journal Gut, a purified form of an omega 3 cuts the number and size of precancerous bowel growths, in the people whose genetic form makes them fall prey to bowel cancer.

Omega 3, often termed as eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA, is equally effective as any of the prescribed medicine by the doctor for treating familial bowel polyps, except the related cardiovascular side effects. It is mainly found in fish, such as salmon, herring, and mackerel.

About 55 patients, who had the inherited genetic mutation that triggers the development of precancerous polyps in the bowel, were analyzed by the researchers. This development is known as familial adenomatous polyposis
(FAP).

People who have FAP tend to develop bowel cancer. For removing large sections of their bowel, a surgery is needed. All of the 55 patients had undergone surgery and were being monitored by endoscopy.

A treatment of six months was assigned to 28 patients, who were given a gram daily of a new highly purified form of the omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, but the rest of the patients were given placebo.

It was found that there was a 10% increase in the number of polyps among the patients who were given placebo. However, it fell by 12% among the ones who were treated with EPA capsules.