Omega-3s Hold Promise for Breast Cancer

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in oily fish like sardines and salmon, and also in oils derived from plants like flax. Previous studies suggest these compounds can negatively affect critical mechanisms in cancer cells, namely those responsible for proliferation and for apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Thomas J. Pogash, from  Fox Chase Cancer Center (Pennsylvania, USA), and colleagues tested the effect of large omega-3 parent molecules, as well as their smaller metabolic derivatives, on three luminal cell lines and seven lines that included basal-type triple-negative cells.  Omega-3 and its metabolites were observed to inhibit proliferation in all cell lines, but the effect was dramatically more pronounced in the triple-negative cell lines. In addition, the metabolites of omega-3 reduced the motility by 20-60%in the triple-negative basal cell lines.  The study authors submit that: “Our data provide novel information regarding the preferential antitumor effect of [Omega-3 fatty acids] and its metabolites on basal type breast cancer.”