FishGastro Study: Fish Consumption and Gastro-Intestinal Health

Epidemiological evidence from several countries supports a protective effect of fish consumption on cancer risk and gastrointestinal cancers in particular. Further evidence to support the idea that fish consumption is protective in relation to cancers of the GI tract is now emerging from the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). The FISHGASTRO project is headed by the Institute of Food Research and includes groups from the University of East Anglia, the University of Wageningen, Netherlands and the University of Jena, Germany. The project focuses on assessing the impact of fish consumption on a range of markers of gastrointestinal health associated with ulcerative colitis or colon cancer and on looking at bio-accessibility of a range of nutrients from fish. We aim to recruit a total of 270 patients with gastrointestinal problems in the UK and Netherlands and take biopsy and blood samples before and after asking them to eat two extra portions of fish per week. One group will receive oil rich fish such as salmon while another will be asked to eat white fish. Changes in cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammatory markers, gene expression and plasma levels of n-3 fatty acids will be compared to a control group only given standard nutritional advice.