Fish oils could protect sunbathers from skin cancer Omega-3 fatty acids found to halve the negative effect sunlight can have on the immune system Boost the body's ability to fight skin cancer But the benefits only hold for less than 30 minutes of sun exposure at a time, warn the researchers Fish oil could protect sun-worshippers from skin cancer, new research suggests. Scientists from the University of Manchester have discovered that omega-3 acids in the oil boost the immune system, affecting the body's ability to fight skin cancer and infection. It is the first time the protective effect of omega-3 - commonly found in fish and plant oils - has been demonstrated in humans. Omega-3 acid reduces the way sunlight suppresses the immune system, scientists believe The research team, from the university's photobiology unit, claim the oils reduced the sun's impact on the immune system by half. Exposure to a lot of UV radiation from the sun can suppress the immune system, which affects the body's ability to fight skin cancer and infection. Team leader Professor Lesley Rhodes, who also works for Salford Royal Hospital, described the findings as 'very exciting'. He added: "It has taken a number of years to get to this stage. This study adds to the evidence that omega-3 is a potential nutrient to protect against skin cancer. He added that although the changes when someone took the oil were small, they suggest that omega-3 could reduce the risk of skin cancer over an individual's lifetime. There has been research in this area carried out on mice in the past but this is the first time that there has been a clinical trial directly in people. Fish oil has also been shown to have other beneficial health effects, such as combating cardiovascular disease The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The 79 patients who volunteered for the trial took a 4g dose of omega-3 - about one and a half portions of oily fish - daily, before being exposed to the equivalent of either eight, 15 or 30 minutes of summer midday sun in Manchester using a special light machine. Other patients took a placebo, before being exposed to the light machine. Suppression of the immune system was 50 per cent lower in people who took the supplement and were exposed to eight and 15 minutes of sun, compared with people who did not take the supplement. The study showed little influence on those in the 30-minute group. Fish oil has already been shown to have many beneficial health effects, such as helping with cardiovascular disease. Prof Rhodes' team are now continuing their research with further omega-3 studies being carried out on healthy volunteers at Salford Royal Hospital. Around 100,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer were diagnosed in the UK in 2010, according to the most recent figures available, making it an extremely common cancer.