Omega-3 Fatty Acids Improve Cancer Treatment

Filed in archive Food and Agriculture on November 14, 2005

Published in the recent issue of Nutrition and Cancer journal is a case study using nutritional intervention in a 78-year-old diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Under a diet low in omega-6 fatty acids (common in corn-based foods) and rich in omega-3 fatty acids (commonly found in fish oils and algae), the cancerous tumors found in the patient's lungs have shrunk to 10 percent of what they were in 2000, as shown in CT scans. Lead author Ron Pardini is optimistic of the potential of such non-toxic, over-the-counter methods in cancer treatment. He said,

"We have good evidence for employing nutritional interventions to improve cancer treatment and patient well-being."

This case study supports Pardini's previous research on athymic mice--also known as nude mice--showing that omega-3 fatty acids significantly depressed the growth of mammary, ovarian, colon, prostate and pancreatic cancer cells.

Read the press release or download the Nutrition and Cancer article here.