Breast cancer: omega-3s could reduce the risk by 33%.
Breast cancer: 33% lower risk with omega-3 supplements
EPA and DHA omega-3s, when taken throughout life, reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in mice by 33 percent and improve the likelihood of early detection. This is according to research published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry and conducted by a team of researchers from the Department of Human and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph (Ontario) in Canada.
Getting to know breast cancer
There are 40,000 new cases of breast cancer in Italy each year: in fact, it is the most common female cancer, affecting 1 in 8 women. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and undergoing repeated checkups over time (such as mammography and ultrasound) reduces the risk of getting sick.
A surprising discovery
The researchers, led by Professor David Ma, used an animal model (for ethical reasons these experiments are not conducted on humans) and unexpectedly discovered a 33 percent lower incidence of breast cancer due to the action of omega-3 EPA and DHA. The researchers crossed a variety of mice genetically modified to synthesize omega-3 EPA and DHA with a variety of mice genetically modified to develop breast tumors. The researchers followed their offspring for the entire lifespan and measured the incidence of breast cancer, relative size and percentage of omega-3 EPA and DHA in mammary glands and tumors.
Another group of mice of the variety prone to develop tumors were given a diet with added omega 3 EPA and DHA and were followed in the same way throughout their lives. Mice that synthesized omega 3 had one-third fewer tumors and a smaller size than mice that were unable to synthesize omega 3. Their tumor glands contained more omega 3 and less omega 6 than the other mice. Similar results were also observed with mice on the omega 3-enriched diet. Moreover, breast cancer was 30% smaller than that developed by mice unable to produce omega-3.
Prevention is better than cure
A smaller size of tumors is of particular importance because it translates into more time available to diagnose them. Earlier diagnosis can make the difference between a curable cancer and not. The researchers pointed out that this is the first time that lifetime exposure to omega-3s through diet has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer and may save many lives through prevention.
Source: Ma DW. et al. Mammary tumor development is directly inhibited by lifelong n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. J Nutr Biochem. 2013 Jan;24(1):388-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2012.08.002. Epub 2012 Sep 29.
