Eating fish regularly increases the risk of skin cancer, research suggests.
American experts looked at consumption and the chance of developing a malignant melanoma.
They found that those who spotted 43 ounces of fish daily — about two weekly servings — were 22 percent more likely to develop the disease than those who rarely ate fish.
Scientists think contaminants in seafood may be behind the link.
The NHS says a healthy diet should include two 140g servings of fatty fish (salmon, sardines or trout) each week.
And other experts said there was no need to stop eating, despite the disturbing findings.
The study, published in the journal Cancer Causes & Control, looked at the intakes of 491,367 adults.
Lead researcher Eunyoung Cho, of Brown University in the US, said: “Our findings have identified a link that requires further investigation.
“We speculate that our findings may be attributable to contaminants in fish, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, arsenic and mercury.
“Previous research has shown that a higher intake of fish is associated with higher levels of these contaminants in the body and has identified associations between these contaminants and a higher risk of skin cancer.”
About 16,200 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year in the UK, making it the fifth most common cancer.
Commenting on the study, UK experts said there is no reason for people to change their diet.
dr. Michael Jones, of the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “The authors found that a higher intake of non-fried fish and tuna was associated with melanoma.
“These results were statistically significant and therefore unlikely due to chance.
“No study should be considered in isolation and further research is needed to see if the findings of this study are replicated.
“An overall healthy, balanced diet should include fish and the results of this study do not change that recommendation.”
Prof Stephen Duffy, professor of cancer screening, Queen Mary University of London, added that the results of the study were striking.
However, he said that medics have been asking more questions than they have answered in the paper.
“The estimated effect of fish consumption on risk is small,” said Prof. Duffy.
“A 1200 percent increase in median consumption is associated with only a 22 percent increased risk of melanoma.
“You could speculate that there could be confusion with fishing, either as a leisure or occupational activity, which would lead to higher exposure to sunlight.
“Also the fact that there is no increase in risk with fried fish, and possibly even a decrease, needs some explanation.”
He added that estimating risks associated with nutrition is fraught with difficulties.
This he said, because the association with nutritional problems may also be linked to other risk factors.
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