Cancer research and omega-3

United Kingdom [Select another country]

Omega-3 and health

Cancer research

Both the biological and molecular properties of omega-3 acids and their interaction with other nutrients (such as omega-6 acids and antioxidants) give grounds for assuming that these fatty acids have a role to play in preventing some cancers and in increasing the effectiveness of anti-cancer treatments (Rose 1997; Rose and Connolly 1997; Bougnoux 1999; Rose and Connolly 1999).

According to the authors, it is the ratio of omega-3 acids to omega-6 acids that determine the preventive effect (Sasaki, Horascek et al. 1993, Simonsen, Fernanedz-Crehuet Navajas et al. 1998). The higher the proportion of omega-3, the less likely cancers are to appear (lower incidence).

More recently, it has been shown that DHA levels in adipose tissue in breast cancers are a predictive factor in their sensitivity to chemotherapy (Bougnoux, Germain et al. 1999).

The differentiated action of omega-3 acids on tumour tissue as opposed to normal tissue opens up interesting perspectives for chemotherapy treatments and the role of nutrition in tumour prevention. Several studies suggest that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are also associated with a reduced risk of some cancers, particularly cancer of the prostate and possibly also breast cancer (Rudin, 1982; Augustsson et al., 2002).