Omega-3 fats demonstrate ability to slow or stop breast cancer proliferation

Thursday, May 16, 2013 by: John Phillip
Tags: breast cancer, omega 3, healthy fats

(NaturalNews) Omega-3 fats have been repeatedly validated in the fight against cardiovascular disease, dementia and many lines of cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer is a particularly aggressive form of the disease that is typically unresponsive to many natural treatments due to its invasive manner of proliferation. New research is now providing solid evidence that the long-chain omega-3 fats, DHA and EPA, can provide an effective shield against this insidious form of breast cancer.

In an effort to build on prior studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids in the fight against many cancerous cell types, researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Temple University Health System have found that omega-3 fatty acids and their metabolite products slow or stop cancerous cell growth in triple-negative breast cancer cells more effectively than cells from other types of the disease. Scientists presented the results of their study to the AACR Annual Meeting.

Omega-3 fatty acids promote programmed cancer cell death to shield against spread of the disease

Researchers identified potent sources of omega-3 fatty acids including oily fish like sardines and salmon, and also include oils derived from plants like hemp, walnuts and flax seeds. Although plant sources of omega-3 fats do not provide the pre-formed forms of DHA and EPA fats, prior research bodies indicate these foods can negatively affect critical mechanisms in cancer cells, namely those responsible for proliferation and for apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Fatty fish and fish oil supplements provide pre-formed long-chain fats that maximize bioavailability.

Lead study author, Dr. Thomas Pogash commented "Diet can play a critical role in breast cancer prevention.... when you compare a western diet to a Mediterranean diet, which has more omega-3s, you see less cancer in the Mediterranean diet. They eat much more fish." The scientists observed that when a cancer cell digests an omega-3 fat, the fatty acid is broken down into small components call metabolites. The researchers tested the effect of large omega-3 parent molecules, as well as their smaller metabolic derivatives, on seven cancer lines that included basal-type triple-negative cells

The team found that the omega-3 fats inhibited proliferation in all cell lines, but the effect was dramatically more pronounced in the triple-negative cell lines. In addition to determining that the metabolites of omega-3 reduced the motility, or ability to move, by 20 to 60 percent in the triple-negative basal cell lines, the scientists also found that the long-chain fats reduced proliferation or cancer cell growth by as much as 90 percent. Regular consumption of fatty fish or daily supplementation with molecularly distilled fish oil (1,200 to 2,400 mg per day) may provide a protective shield against cancerous proliferation in many forms of the disease, particularly triple-negative breast cancer.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.fccc.edu

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/fccc-ofa040213.php

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/259069.php

About the author:
John Phillip is a Certified Nutritional Consultant and Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. Visit My Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.