SCIENTISTS at Southampton University have found that fish oil may help prevent severe wasting and weight loss commonly associated with cancer.
As a result of the changes in metabolism and loss of appetite created by various cancers, the severe weight loss - known as Cachexia - is a major factor in causing deaths of cancer sufferers.
On average patients lost 17 per cent of their body weight and were losing more than three kilos in weight each month before they started taking fish oil supplements.
The eight-week study on 200 patients discovered those who were given a high protein supplement drink enriched with omega-3, found in fish such as herring and salmon, and vitamins E and C stopped losing weight. A "significant" link between the amount of fish oil consumed by patients and the amount of weight gained was also identified.
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