About 19 million U.S. adults take fish oil supplements, often to protect against chronic diseases. But new research suggests their ability to lower colon cancer risk may depend on a single gene. Scientists at the University of Michigan and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that the gene 15-lipoxygenase-1 (ALOX15) is critical for omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil (EPA and DHA) to fight colon cancer. The study — recently published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology — showed that without ALOX15, fish oil could actually raise the risk of colon tumors in mice. “Not all fish oil supplements are the same,” senior researcher Imad Shureiqi, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, said in a news release. “It is also important to ask whether the person who is taking the supplement has the required enzymes to metabolize these products to prevent chronic inflammation and subsequently cancer development,” he added. Researchers compared mice fed fish oil diets with mice on control diets. To their surprise, fish oil increased colon tumors in mice exposed to chemicals that cause inflammation and speed tumor formation. That’s because the omega-3 fatty acids need ALOX15 to be broken down into anti-inflammatory molecules called resolvins, researchers explained. Chronic inflammation is a major factor in cancer. The study…  read on >  read on >

About 19 million U.S. adults take fish oil supplements, often to protect against chronic diseases. But new research suggests their ability to lower colon cancer risk may depend on a single gene. Scientists at the University of Michigan and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that the gene 15-lipoxygenase-1 (ALOX15) is critical for omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil (EPA and DHA) to fight colon cancer. The study — recently published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology — showed that without ALOX15, fish oil could actually raise the risk of colon tumors in mice. “Not all fish oil supplements are the same,” senior researcher Imad Shureiqi, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, said in a news release. “It is also important to ask whether the person who is taking the supplement has the required enzymes to metabolize these products to prevent chronic inflammation and subsequently cancer development,” he added. Researchers compared mice fed fish oil diets with mice on control diets. To their surprise, fish oil increased colon tumors in mice exposed to chemicals that cause inflammation and speed tumor formation. That’s because the omega-3 fatty acids need ALOX15 to be broken down into anti-inflammatory molecules called resolvins, researchers explained. Chronic inflammation is a major factor in cancer. The study…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Sept. 23  2025Extreme pregnancy symptoms like excessive nausea and vomiting can dramatically increase a woman’s risk for mental health and neurological problems, a new study says. Women diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) were more than 50% as likely to develop a range of 13 conditions that included postpartum psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers reported Sept. 18 in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health. They also had a nearly tripled risk for postpartum depression, as well as a more than doubled risk for eating disorders, researchers found. “Many pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting but for women with HG this occurs at a level which is far from ‘normal’ and as such it can be profoundly debilitating,” lead researcher Hamilton Morrin said in a news release. Morrin is a doctoral fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. Hyperemesis gravidarum isn’t simple morning sickness. Women with the condition experience prolonged and severe nausea and vomiting, leading to dehydration and weight loss, researchers said in background notes. Hyperemesis gravidarum affects just under 4% of all pregnancies, and is the most common cause of hospitalization in the first trimester of pregnancy, researchers siad. Most cases resolve from the second trimester, but it can leave women feeling anxious, isolated and unsure of their ability to cope with the rest of their…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Sept. 23  2025Extreme pregnancy symptoms like excessive nausea and vomiting can dramatically increase a woman’s risk for mental health and neurological problems, a new study says. Women diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) were more than 50% as likely to develop a range of 13 conditions that included postpartum psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers reported Sept. 18 in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health. They also had a nearly tripled risk for postpartum depression, as well as a more than doubled risk for eating disorders, researchers found. “Many pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting but for women with HG this occurs at a level which is far from ‘normal’ and as such it can be profoundly debilitating,” lead researcher Hamilton Morrin said in a news release. Morrin is a doctoral fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. Hyperemesis gravidarum isn’t simple morning sickness. Women with the condition experience prolonged and severe nausea and vomiting, leading to dehydration and weight loss, researchers said in background notes. Hyperemesis gravidarum affects just under 4% of all pregnancies, and is the most common cause of hospitalization in the first trimester of pregnancy, researchers siad. Most cases resolve from the second trimester, but it can leave women feeling anxious, isolated and unsure of their ability to cope with the rest of their…  read on >  read on >