Omega-3 fatty acids slow prostate cancer growth

[Bigun]

Omega-3 fatty acids slow prostate cancer growth

Increasing omega-3 fatty acids while reducing omega-6 fatty acids in the diet could slow the progression of prostate cancer. This is good new for those who use AAS as their useage may contribute to prostate hypertrophy and dysfunction.

A study of the UCLA School of Medicine showed that altering the fatty acid ratio found in the typical Western diet to include more omega-3 fatty acids and decreasing the amount of omega-6 fatty acids reduced prostate cancer tumour growth rates and PSA levels in mice.

In the study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, mice were implanted with human prostate cancer cells and then divided into two groups. One group was fed the typical Western diet an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of about 15:1, while the intervention group was fed a diet with a ratio of about 1:1. Both groups were fed identical 20% of their calories from fat sources.

In the intervention group, cancer cells grew 22 percent slower than in the Western diet group. The intervention group's tumour growth rates, final tumour size, and PSA levels were all lower. A diet with increased levels of omega-3s was also associated with an 83 percent reduction in the inflammatory chemical Tumour Prostaglandin E-2 (PGE-2).

As scientists are increasingly discovering, food really is the best medicine for preventing disease, and omega-3 oils offer some of the most beneficial natural medicine in the world.

Healthy sources of omega-3 fatty acids include coldwater fish, flax seeds, pumpkin seed oil and seeds and cod liver oil.