Fish oil lowers prostate cancer growth
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:00:16
A new study with mice suggests that a diet high in
omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil might help slow
prostate cancer growth.
Omega-3 fatty acids -- especially the long-chain forms
found in oily fish -- have become the latest nutrition
superstars, with studies suggesting they can help
prevent heart disease and even 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., from Wake Forest University School
of Medicine. "It's possible that a change in diet could
mean the difference between dying from the disease and
surviving with it."
Working with mice genetically engineered to develop
prostate tumors, scientists fed some of the mice a diet
high in omega-3 fatty acids from birth. These mice had
fewer tumors and a longer life span than those not fed
the diet. Survival was 60 percent in mice fed a high
omega-3 diet, 10 percent in mice on a low omega-3 diet
and zero percent in mice fed a diet high in omega-6, a
different type of polyunsaturated fatty acid found in
vegetable oils.
Meanwhile, in normal mice not engineered for prostate
cancer, all survived regardless of diet, according to
another study funded by the National Institutes of
Health.
"This suggests that if you have good genes, it may not
matter too much what you eat," said Chen. "But if you
have a gene that makes you susceptible to prostate
cancer, your diet can tip the balance. Our data
demonstrate the importance of gene-diet interactions,
and that genetic cancer risk can be modified favorable
by omega-3 PUFA."
