Fatty acids found in fish oil supplements may block chemotherapy from attacking tumors and patients should stop taking them, said a study by Dutch researchers.



Fish oil supplements of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are sold worldwide, and are touted by manufacturers as a way to boost heart and brain health.

However, researchers at The Netherlands' University Medical Center Utrecht report in the journal Cancer Cell that two types of fatty acids, known as platinum-induced fatty acids or PIFAs, were shown to block one type of chemotherapy from working in animal tests.