The Anti-Cancer Properties of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Overview

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids are a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) showing the first of double bond after the third carbon atom from the methyl end of fatty acid chain. The quantity and makeup of dietary fat intake are known to impact human health. Use of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplements has gained increasing attention for a variety of purported health benefits, including cancer prevention. Preclinical evidence has been encouraging and recent studies have expanded our understanding of the mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids may protect against breast and colon cancer.

Omega-3 Rich Diet

Mackerel, Salmon, Cold Liver Oil, Herring, Oysters, Sardines, Anchovies, Caviar, Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds, Walnuts, and lastly Soya Beans.

Omega-3 Diet Reduce the Risk of Cancer

Several epidemiologic studies suggest that people who consume foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids have reduced incidences of certain types of cancer. Current research suggests that these compounds are particularly protective against breast and colon cancer.

Omega-3 fatty acids greatly 

improve heart health and 

significantly reduce the risk of 

death from coronary heart disease.

Researchers at the University of Nevada recently published a paper in Cancer Letters demonstrating that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the growth of human colon carcinoma cells.

Their method, which was a bit complex, relied on transplanting human tumor cells into mice whose immune systems had been compromised so that they would be particularly susceptible to cancer. After the transplant, the mice were divided into different groups: two groups were fed on a diet supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids, while the other groups were fed either a low-fat (8% corn oil) or high-fat (24% corn oil) diet that lacked omega-3 fatty acids.

In all the mice, the size of the cancerous tumor was measured at the beginning of the study and again at the end, 54 days later. Mice in the two groups receiving the omega-3 fatty acid-supplemented diet had significantly smaller tumors—up to 90% smaller—than the mice on the omega-6-rich/omega-3-deficient diets.

The authors concluded that “These findings indicate that dietary omega-3 fatty acids possess significant tumor-suppressing properties and that the primary tumor-suppressing fatty acid is docosahexaenoic acid [DHA].”

Another important finding was that the low-fat diet (8% corn oil) significantly reduced the growth of tumor cells compared to the high-fat diet (24% corn oil). Together, these results suggest that a good way to inhibit tumor cell growth is to decrease total fat intake while increasing the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids.

 Indeed, this view is shared by Dr. Hardman, who suggests that “. . . increasing the consumption of n-3 fatty acids may be a nontoxic way to augment cancer therapy and to significantly increase lifespan.”

How Omega-3 Fatty Acids Work

Beyond the study just mentioned, why do researchers think that omega-3 fatty acids are a good addition to conventional cancer therapy and may also help prevent the occurrence of cancer in the first place? The answer is complex because omega-3 fatty acids have many beneficial functions. For example, they help regulate the expression of certain genes in cancer cells. As a result, they may cause cancer cells to die—a process called programmed cell death, or apoptosis.

Another possibility is that they may instruct cancer cells to stop dividing by inhibiting mitosis—the process by which one cell becomes two cells with all the same genetic material—which is almost as good as telling them to die.

Alternatively, omega-3 fatty acids may encourage cancer cells to differentiate into a cell type that is no longer capable of replicating itself without limit and that is thus no longer cancerous.

Research indicates that a high  consumption of omega-3 fatty  acids reduces the risk of dementia.

Cancer cells need a steady supply of nutrients to survive and proliferate. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important nutrients, may limit the access of other nutrients to cancer cells by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels to tumors.

They may also stall cancer-cell growth in certain cell types by interrupting the normal biochemical processes that govern the production and release of essential hormones. No matter the mechanism, the important thing to remember is that all these changes have the same result—stopping the growth of cancer cells.

Not only may they slow cancer growth, but omega-3 fatty acids may provide a useful adjunct for conventional chemotherapy. For example, animal experiments have shown that concomitant administration of omega-3 fatty acids increases the efficacy of chemotherapy while reducing its side effects. You can think of all these effects of omega-3 fatty acids as a “multiple whammies” against cancer.

This article was written by Makori Josiah,

for any inquiry contact +254708 346 446 or [email protected].

References Cockbain, A. J., Toogood, G. J., & Hull, M. A. (2012). Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for the treatment and prevention of colorectal cancer. Gut, 61(1), 135-149.

Daley, C. A., Abbott, A., Doyle, P. S., Nader, G. A., & Larson, S. (2010). A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. Nutrition journal, 9(1), 10.

Kato T, Hancock RL, Mohammadpour H, et al. Influence of omega-3 fatty acids on the growth of human colon carcinoma in nude mice. Cancer Lett 2002; 187:169-77.

MacLean, C. H., Newberry, S. J., Mojica, W. A., Khanna, P., Issa, A. M., Suttorp, M. J., ... & Morton, S. C. (2006). Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cancer risk: a systematic review. Jama, 295(4), 403-415.