N12012: Gastro-intestinal health with special emphasis on reduction of risk of colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (Fishgastro)
Tuesday 5 September 2006
This research project aims to confirm whether fish consumption confers protection against disease of the colon and whether this protective effect is limited to oily fish.
Background
The Fishgastro project is one of 22 projects within an EU funded project, Seafood Plus. Fish consumption has been shown to be protective in relation to bowel cancer in epidemiological studies including the European Prospective Investigation into Nutrition and Cancer (EPIC). However these studies do not distinguish between types of fish and total fish consumption and there are no intervention studies using whole fish and examining gastrointestinal health.
Research Approach
This study aims to confirm that fish consumption confers protection, and to understand underlying changes in gene expression, by undertaking an intervention study with a control group who are advised to consume more fibre, fruit and vegetables, a control diet plus oil rich fish (300g salmon per week) and control diet plus white fish (300g cod per week) for six months. The study is being undertaken on patients with previous polyps, with inflammatory bowel disease and those with no overt mucosal damage. Blood samples, biopsy tissue and faeces will be collected and used to measure a range early markers of disease risk.