Omega-3 can prevent prostate cancer: Studies

Fish oils, flaxseed oils and other omega-3s can help preventing prostate cancer, according to studies.

Boosting omega-3 intake while reducing omega-6 intake can help halt prostate cancer tumour growth and end the chronic tissue inflammation that ultimately contributes to prostate cancer, researchers suggest.

Corn oil has an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 60:1, and safflower oil a ratio of 77:1 far from the evolutionary balance of 1:1. Human studies are consistent with animal studies showing that omega-3 fish oils protect against cancer. Paul Terry, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, tracked the health of more than six thousand male twins who were, on average, in their mid-fifties when the study began. Terry found that men who regularly ate fish had one-half to one-third the risk of prostate cancer, compared with those who ate no fish.

What are good sources of fish oils?

Marine omega-3 oils from green-lipped mussels etc are considered the excellent sources of omega 3.

Omega-3 consumption in the western diet has become so low that researchers can’t find it in lab sample tissues. A study of men found higher concentrations of omega-3s in blood serum samples taken from healthy males, with lower concentrations taken from men with prostatitis. The lowest rates were found in men with prostate cancer. Fish oil has about 30% omega-3 oil while flaxseed oil has about 60% omega-3 oil. So flax is the only oil that can correct the imbalance in omega-3 & 6 oils in the Western diet.

Reducing total fat intake and increasing the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids in the diet may be particularly useful for groups at a relatively high risk of cancer, and may also be useful after surgery to help prevent disease recurrence. Prostate cancer dietary intake of essential fatty acids may play a role in prostate cancer cell proliferation. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that men whose dietary intake is high in omega-6 fatty acids have a higher incidence of clinical prostate cancer. Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids may have protective effects, say researchers.

The percentages of serum total ply unsaturarated fatty acids (PUFAs) ere similar in the six regions, though there was an almost threefold difference in omega-3 content between Brazil (3.9 percent) and Japan (10.9 percent). The frequency of total fish intake corresponded to serum omega-3 composition. The relationship between cancer mortality and serum omega-3 levels was not clear, though an inverse association between prostate cancer and serum omega-3 levels appeared to exist.

Omega-3 oils, provided either as pure omega-3 from algae or from flaxseed oil which has the highest natural ratio of omega-3 over omega-6 oil (1-2 tablespoons, 3000-6000 mg), will provide omega-3 oils that inhibit prostate cancer cell growth. Folic acid (vitamin B9) supplements appear to be called for. About 800 mcg per day is a commonly recommended dosage.

Animal studies have demonstrated that polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids stimulate carcinogenesis and tumor growth and metastasis, whereas long-chain omega-3 fatty acids inhibit these processes. Reducing total fat intake and increasing the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids in the diet may be particularly useful for groups at a relatively high risk for breast or prostate cancer, and may also be useful after surgery to help prevent disease recurrence. Dietary intake of essential fatty acids may play a role in prostate cancer cell proliferation.

The consequences of low omega-3 levels (or a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio) are hormonal imbalances as well as a host of serious chronic illnesses. Studies conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center found that omega-6 fatty acids, such as those found in corn and similar oils, increased the growth rate of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. According to the study’s author, a diet high in omega-6 and low in omega-3 can turn on a cascade of events that can lead to an increased risk of developing prostate, colorectal, and some breast cancers.

Plant sources of omega-3

Some good plant sources of omega-3 are in order of highest omega-3 content: flaxseed, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados. Organic butter or cheese made from the milk of grass-fed cows is also a good source. The best animal sources are cold-water fish like salmon. Several studies have found a solid correlation between the consumption of fish oils and a decreased risk of developing prostate cancer. Fish oil’s main components are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which are omega-3 fatty acids.

Researchers are trying to figure out how omega-3 oils have such a profound desirable effect on cancer cells. The results of animal studies have demonstrated that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can slow the growth of cancer grafts, increase the efficacy of chemotherapy, and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy or of cancer itself. In prostate cancer cells studied in lab experiments, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids have demonstrated promotional and inhibitory effects, respectively.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, sardines, tuna, and mackerel inhibit prostate tumor growth and metastasis. Citrus fruit and strawberries reduce the risk of prostate cancer and inhibit the growth of prostate tumors. Saw palmetto berries prevent the conversion of testosterone to a compound that promotes prostate inflammation and prostate cancer.

More recently, researchers have cited westernization of diets and decreased intake of cold-water fish high in omega-3 fats and vitamin D as partial reasons for rising rates of prostate cancer in Japanese and Koreans. Vitamin D suppresses tumour growth and promotes differentiation in prostate cancer similar to the way it works with breast cancer. In prostate cancer cell lines, vitamin D stimulates the tumor-suppressor genes that increase the production of proteins that slow the cell life cycle.

Evidence suggests that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be no greater than 4:1, and 3:1 is even better. Most Americans have an omega-6 to omega-3 profile of 10:1 or greater. Evidence suggests that an imbalance of this type may increase the level of inflammation in the body and increase the risk of heart disease, arthritis, and certain types of cancer, including prostate cancer. For millions of years, humans evolved on a diet rich in natural omega-3 food sources, including free-range game, fish, marine mammals, nuts, and fresh seaweed.

The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are thought by some researchers to be the components of fish responsible for protection against cancer. Low-fat diet and prevention when combined with a low-fiber diet, men consuming a high-fat diet have been reported to have higher levels of testosterone, which might increase their risk of prostate cancer. The risk of prostate cancer correlates with dietary fat from country to country, a finding supported in some but not all preliminary trials.

This advantage can be doubled by giving the pregnant and breast-feeding mother a supplement of omega-3 fish oils.

A number of investigators have reported that omega-3 supplementation decreases PGE2 production by tumor cells and inhibits their growth. An EPA and DHA mixture inhibited the growth of human lung tumors in mice by 45%. The mixture reduced the content of arachidonic acid in the tumor cells by 50%, and increased the content of omega-3 fatty acids three to fivefold. PGE2 levels in the tumor were reduced over sevenfold (De Bravo et al., 1991). EPA/DHA mixtures also decreased the production of PGE2 and decreased the growth of human prostate cancer xenografts in mice (Karmali et al., 1987).

How does omega-3 help our body?

Omega-3 fish oils help the body in many ways. Omega-3 fish oil is an essential fatty acid. Some claim that it helps protect against a large number of diseases such as cancer, arthritis, heart disease, and many others. There is no guarantee that following a healthy diet can prevent BPH or prostate cancer, but it will reduce the odds based on a plethora of published research data.

Still other researchers relate high rates of prostate cancer – all types of cancer, for that matter – to eating far too much Omega-6 essential fatty acid (EFA) in widely used safflower, sunflower, peanut, and soy oils and margarines made from them in ratio to omega-3, a lopsided 25 to 30 parts to one.

Lignans in flaxseed oil protect against hormone-sensitive cancers. But the benefits of flax are not limited to the omega-3 content. The oil, and especially the seeds, are a great source of something called lignans, which have a whole host of health benefits of their own, for both men and women. Lignans have a protective effect against cancer, especially those that are hormone-sensitive like breast, uterine, and prostate cancers. Lignans increase sex-hormone binding globidin (SHBG), which binds to estrogen and helps get it out of the body.

What are omega –3 acids?

n?3 fatty acids are popularly referred to as ??3 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids. They are a family of unsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon–carbon double bond in the n?3 position; that is, the third bond from the methyl end of the fatty acid.

Important nutritionally-essential n?3 fatty acids are: ?-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), all of which are polyunsaturated. The human body cannot synthesize n?3 fatty acids de novo, but it can form 20- and 22-carbon unsaturated n?3 fatty acids from the eighteen-carbon n?3 fatty acid, ?-linolenic acid.

These conversions occur competitively with n?6 fatty acids, which are essential closely related chemical analogues that are derived from linoleic acid. Both the n?3 ?-linolenic acid and n?6 linoleic acid are essential nutrients which must be obtained from food. Synthesis of the longer n?3 fatty acids from linolenic acid within the body is competitively slowed by the n?6 analogues.

Thus accumulation of long-chain n?3 fatty acids in tissues is more effective when they are obtained directly from food or when competing amounts of n?6 analogs do not greatly exceed the amounts of n?3.