How You Cook Your Fish May Affect Your Cancer Risk, New Study Suggests

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were nearly 148,000 new cases of colorectal cancers reported in the U.S. in 2022. More than 50,000 people in the U.S. died from colorectal cancer in 2023.1 Black Americans have the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the U.S., and they are more likely to die from it than other ethnicities and racial groups in America.2

We know that diet plays a role in cancer risk. For example, there is evidence that people who follow plant-based diets have lower cancer risk than those who eat meat. Eating certain foods, such as broccoli, walnuts and legumes, has been linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer. And we know that eating more fiber can also help lower your risk of colorectal cancer.

Researchers from Boston University were curious about fish, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and colorectal cancer. Could eating more fish and PUFA-rich foods lower your risk? They published their findings in The Journal of Nutrition.2 Let’s break down what they found.