Prostate Cancer and
Omega-3 EPA and DHA

While ALA can serve in a limited capacity as a precursor for EPA and DHA, the concentrations of EPA and DHA are high in fish oils and consistently inhibit tumor cell growth in animals and cell lines from human prostate tumors. LA is the most abundant Omega-6 in the human diet found primarily in vegetable oils. Long chain Omega-6 fatty acids enhance prostate tumor cell growth in human prostate tumor-derived cell lines.

In 2004, a prestigious team of researchers from the National Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health and Karolinska Institute in Stockholm released results of a study conducted to determine whether ALA is detrimental to prostate cancer while determining the affects of other fatty acids, including fish oils, on prostate cancer risk.

In 1986, a 14-year study began of 47,866 male American health professionals aged 40-75 years with no cancer history. The researchers prospectively evaluated the association between intakes of ALA, EPA, DHA, LA and AA and prostate cancer risk observing a strong correlation between the risk of advanced prostate cancer and high ALA intake.

Participants completed detailed food frequency questionnaires in 1986, 1990, 1994 and by 2000, 2965 new cases of prostate cancer were reported with 488 being advanced prostate cancer. By examining individual food sources, the risk of advanced prostate cancer through intake of ALA from meat and dairy sources appeared to increase more strongly among men with low intakes of ALA from non-animal sources. There was a trend for red meat, mayonnaise and salad dressings to be associated with a higher risk.

In this large prospective study, we found that ALA from non-animal sources and ALA from meat and dairy sources were associated or suggestively associated with an increased risk of advanced prostate cancer. This finding agrees with the finding of a single previous study (19) that evaluated ALA intake by food source."

EPA + DHA was suggestively related to a lower risk of advanced prostate cancer, which was mainly due to DHA and to a lesser extent to EPA.

A high intake of EPA + DHA was associated or suggestively associated with a decreased risk of total and advanced prostate cancer. This finding is largely consistent with the findings of a recent analysis of fish consumption from our cohort (12), another prospective study (36), and 6 case-control studies (25, 37-41) that found decreased prostate cancer risk associated with high intakes of fish or marine n–3 fatty acids, all but one (41) of which were statistically significant.

Conclusions: Increased dietary intakes of ALA may increase the risk of advanced prostate cancer. In contrast, EPA and DHA intakes may reduce the risk of total and advanced prostate cancer. (Read NCI conclusion)

In our expose, “The Food Industry’s Greed:  How Misleading Labeling of Omega-3 Foods Undermines Health” the very real threat to prostate cancer, and other health concerns such as inflammation from liberally adding more ALA to food products to boast an Omega-3 label is examined in great detail. Read More Here.

Paterson Institute in Manchester, UK

Not only is eating fatty fish such as salmon important in preventing prostate cancer, but it also appears to prevent the spread of it. Published in the British Journal of Cancer is research to suggest that Omega-3 EPA DHA actually help prevent the spread of prostate cancer to other parts of the body, whereas Omega 6 fatty acids (Known as Arachidonic acid) actually perpetuates the spread and invasion of cancer cells.

Mick Brown, Ph.D., lead author of the study from the Paterson Institute in Manchester, UK, was quoted as saying, "This invasion was blocked by omega-3 fats - the ones found in oily fish. It is possible to have a healthy balance of these two types of fat - we only need about half as much omega-3 as omega-6 - that will still stop cancer cells from spreading".

"We think tumors may exploit the omega-6 fats as a high energy source - giving them the energy they need to maintain a high growth rate - and to create important signaling molecules. Omega-3 fats are known to interfere with the various functions of omega-6 fats, something confirmed by our findings. This effectively removes the cancer's 'free lunch', a fact that may have clinical importance" said, as mydna.com quoted, Noel Clarke, principal investigator of the study, from the Christie Hospital. Christie Hospital Study.

Be sure to read the expose “Food Industry’s Greed: How Misleading Labeling of Omega-3 Foods Undermines American Health.” For the first time ever in one book, years of research, studies and opinions of prestigious medical communities are compiled that will benefit the health of all age groups. Understand the Omegas for your health depends on it.

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