Suppression of tumor growth and metastasis by dietary fish oil combined with vitamins E and C and cisplatin.

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Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2001;47(1):34-40 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut

Suppression of tumor growth and metastasis by dietary fish oil combined with

vitamins E and C and cisplatin.

Yam D, Peled A, Shinitzky M.

Department of Biological Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot,

Israel.

 

PURPOSE:

The anticancer activity of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA)

has been shown in a large number of

studies. This study was undertaken to analyze the combined effect of omega-3

PUFA and antioxidative vitamins on the

level of spontaneous metastatic dissemination. The supportive effect of this

dietary combination on chemotherapy with

cisplatin (CP) was determined in parallel.

 

METHODS:

C57BL/6J mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma 3LL were fed ad libitum one of

three isocaloric diets containing 5%

soybean oil supplemented with 40 mg/kg alpha-tocopherol acetate (SO diet), or 4%

fish oil plus 1% corn oil, and basal

amounts of vitamin E (FO diet) or FO diet supplemented with vitamins E and C

(FO+E+C diet). These diets were tested in

combination with the conventional cytotoxic agent CP in a series of regimens.

Tumor growth, feed consumption, body

weight, lung metastasis and lung histology were followed.

 

RESULTS:

Both the FO dietary groups showed significantly lower tumor development than the

SO group in all examined parameters,

indicating that omega-3 PUFA have anticancer activity.

 

However, the FO diet, in comparison with the FO+E+C diet induced a significantly

slower rate of tumor growth, and lower

metastatic load, as reflected in lung weight.

 

The decrease in the anticancer activity of FO by the addition of vitamins E and

C suggests that in situ oxidation of

omega-3 PUFA underlies their anticancer action.

 

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It is thus proposed that oxidized omega-3 PUFA accumulates in the membranes and

the cytosol of tumor cells, reducing the

ir vitality and eventually leading to their death.

 

No signs of anorexia or cachexia were observed in either FO group, in contrast

to the SO group. CP treatment with the SO

diet had no apparent therapeutic effect, while with the FO diets it reduced the

metastatic load.

 

The best regimen of this combined treatment was FO diet followed by CP treatment

with FO diet supplemented with vitamins

E and C after resection of the primary growth.

 

This regimen could be translated to a combined therapy for human cancer.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

Diets enriched with omega-3 PUFA may have beneficial anticancer effects in

particular when containing only basal amounts

of antioxidants such as vitamin E or C. Furthermore, the addition of drugs which

promote oxidation of omega-3 PUFA, such

as ferrous salts (e.g. as prescribed for the treatment of anemia), may further

increase these effects. However, the

supportive effect of omega-3 PUFA in chemotherapy (e.g. with CP) increases when

vitamins E and C are also included.

 

PMID: 11221959 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Note it is the long chain Omega 3 EPA & DHA fats in the fish oil that are the

active agents and ADDING anti-oxidants

(Vit C & E) actually reduced the cancer killing effects of the long chain Omega

3 fats.

 

Here it is suggested that in fighting cancer cells, the use of anti-oxidants may

be counter productive.

 

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Good Health & Long Life,

Greg Watson, gowatson

USDA database (food breakdown) http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/

PubMed (research papers) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

DWIDP (nutrient analysis) http://www.walford.com/dwdemo/dw2b63demo.exe

KIM (omega analysis) http://ods.od.nih.gov/eicosanoids/KIM_Install.exe