Fish Oil Supplementation May Slow Prostate Cancer Growth

Previously, some studies have suggested that lowering dietary fat and decreasing the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may help to reduce the risk of prostate cancer development and progression. William J. Aronson, from the University of California/Los Angeles (UCLA; California, USA), and colleagues conducted a Phase II randomized trial involving 48 men undergoing radical prostatectomy, who were assigned to receive a low-fat diet with 5 g of fish oil daily (dietary omega-6 : omega-3 ratio of 2:1), or a traditional high-fat Western diet (dietary omega-6 : omega-3 ratio of 15:1), for 4 to 6 weeks prior to the operation. The team found that the growth of prostate cancer cells was slowed among the men given the fish oil supplements, all of whom also were shown to display altered cell membrane compositions among both the healthy and cancerous cells in the prostate. Writing that: ” The intervention resulted in decreased prostate cancer proliferation and decreased prostate tissue omega-6:omega-3 ratios,” the researchers urge: “further studies evaluating reduction of dietary fat with fish oil supplementation on modulating prostate cancer biology.”