Omega-3 Fatty Acids Appear To Slow Prostate Cancer

A research study using mice has shown that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements and certain fish could improve the prognosis of men who are genetically prone to develop prostate cancer.

"This study clearly shows that diet can tip the balance toward a good or a bad outcome," said senior researcher Yong Q. Chen, Ph.D, "It's possible that a change in diet could mean the difference between dying from the disease and surviving with it."

In the mice that were engineered with a genetic defect that causes prostate cancer, a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids beginning at birth reduced tumor growth, slowed disease progression and increased survival.

The engineered mice and non-engineered mice were fed varying levels of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Both are "essential" fatty acids, which means the body needs them for proper cell function but cannot produce them.

The mice were fed either a diet high in omega-3 (ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 was 1:1) a diet low in omega 3 (ratio omega-6 to omega-3 was 20:1), or a diet high in omega-6 (ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 was 40:1). The scientists compared survival rates and weighed the animals' prostates to measure tumor progression.

Mice with the tumor suppressor gene remained free of tumors and had 100 percent survival, regardless of diet. In mice with the gene defect, survival was 60 percent in animals on the high omega-3 diet, 10 percent in those on the low omega-3 diet and 0 percent in those on the high omega-6 diet.

Chen said dietary changes may be particularly beneficial in people prone to prostate cancer because the disease is usually diagnosed in older men and the tumors are slow-growing. It's possible that eating a high omega-3 diet could delay tumor development or progression long enough for the man to live out his natural lifespan with prostate cancer.

"Our data imply a beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acids on delaying the onset of human prostate cancer," Chen said.

Source: Newmedical.net

Further information: www.news-medical.net.

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Omega-3 Fatty Acids Appear To Slow Prostate Cancer

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