Researchers at Manchester University found that volunteers given omega-3 supplements were better able to ward off the potential harmful effects of sunshine, than those given a dummy pill.
The academics emphasised their study was by no means conclusive proof of a protective effect, but said it “adds to the evidence that omega-3 is a potential nutrient to protect against skin cancer”.
The study, the first to investigate the effects of omega-3 on sun protection in humans, compared the skin’s immune response to strong sunshine in 79 volunteers.
Half were given 4g of omega-3 daily – the equivalent of a portion and a half of oily fish like salmon or mackerel – and half were given a placebo pill.
They were then exposed to the equivalent of either 8, 15 or 30 minutes of summer midday sun in Manchester using a special light machine.
Those given the placebo pills had an immune response that was half as strong as those given omega-3 pills, when exposed for eight and 15 minutes. There was no difference in immune response when exposed for 30 minutes.
Professor Lesley Rhodes, from the university’s Dermatology Centre, said the findings were important because research showed most people
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