Often lauded as a superfood, fish has its clear nutritional benefits, providing the body with vital fatty acids and vitamins, according to The Independent.
However, too much fish could well be a bad thing. According to a new study, eating two portions per week – as recommended by the NHS – has been linked to an increased risk of skin cancer.
In the new research, experts from Brown University found that people whose typical daily intake of fish was 42.8g (equivalent to about 300g per week) had a 22 percent higher risk of malignant melanoma than those whose typical daily fish intake was just 3.2g.
Those eating more fish also had a 28 percent increased risk of developing abnormal cells in the outer layer of the skin only – known as stage 0 melanoma or melanoma in situ (also sometimes referred to as pre-cancer).
“We speculate that our findings could possibly be attributed to contaminants in fish, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, arsenic and mercury,” the authors of the study stated.
Other experts said fish was an important healthy food and there was no need to stop eating it.
Dr. Duane Mellor, senior lecturer at Aston Medical School, said: “The authors suggest that there could be a link between contaminants in the fish which could increase risk of cancer, but this is likely to affect the risk of more than just skin cancers”.
