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Health News Archive 193 - Cancer
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Omega-6 Fatty Acids Fuel Prostate Cancer Growth
A study published in the February 1 2006 issue of the journal Cancer
Research reported that the addition of an omega-6 fatty acid to cultured
human prostate cancer cells doubled their growth rate compared to untreated
prostate cancer cells. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in vegetable oils,
such as corn and safflower oil, margarine, salad dressings, and prepared
foods such as baked and frozen goods. While omega-6 fatty acids are
essential, some researchers believe that the high level of
omega 6
relative to omega-3 fatty acids (which are found in fish and other foods)
in the modern American diet may be harmful.
Researchers at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center
led by Millie Hughes-Fulford, PhD, based the current investigation on
findings from previous research that omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid
stimulates the production of an enzyme known as cPLA-2, which produces a
chain reaction ending in tumor growth. In the current study, arachidonic
acid was found to fuel prostate tumor cell growth by turning on a gene
signaling pathway.
"After we added omega-6 fatty acids to the growth medium in the dish, we
observed that tumors grew twice as fast as those without omega-6," Dr
Fulford-Hughes explained. "Investigating the reasons for this rapid
growth, we discovered that the omega-6 was turning on a dozen inflammatory
genes that are known to be important in cancer. We then asked what was
turning on those genes, and found that omega-6 fatty acids actually turn
on a signal pathway called PI3-kinase that is known to be a key player in
cancer."
Dr Hughes-Fulford observed that the rate of prostate cancer in the U.S.
has increased along with omega-6 intake. She added, "I'm not a physician,
and do not tell people how to eat, but I can tell you what I do in my own
home. I use only canola oil and olive oil. We do not eat deep-fried
foods." Also to be minimized are margarine, salad dressing, baked
foods such as cookies and cakes, chips, popcorn, and other prepared foods.
Source: Millie Hughes-Fulford, Chai-Fei Li, Jim Boonyaratanakornkit, and
Sina Sayyah. Arachidonic Acid Activates Phosphatidylinositol
3-Kinase Signaling and Induces Gene Expression in Prostate Cancer.
Cancer Res 2006 66: 1427-1433.
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