Do you consume much omega-3 fatty acids? Eat cold water fish, take fish oil capsules, flax oil capsules or eat flax meal? Is so, you might be slowing the growth of any tumors (cancer) that you have.

First, a couple of days ago I had a post Should You Consume Less Fish or Fish Oil. This post talked about how the fish stocks have crashed and whole ecosystems will probably get wrecked. It was suggested that plant sources are the way to go. The post talked about how yeast are being engineered to produce high levels of omega-3 fatty acids (Marmite plus, anyone?) and there are algae supplements too. The next post was about camelina, a plant related to rapeseed (canola) which is an excellent source of omega-3’s. So if you are already are or thinking of consuming high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, think about plant sources. Flax meal is good, since it also has high levels of good types of fiber.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been suggested to have a number of benefits including lowering the level of inflammation and lowering triglycerides.

Now, new research suggests that DHA (docosahexanoic or docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid, may slow the growth of solid tumors, and further, both increased the effectiveness of cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug, and reduced the side effects.

This is just one study. If it is confirmed in other cancer models it has another implication. None of us know when a tumor is growing inside us, until starts to affect our health or is discovered accidentally. Perhaps DHA could slow the growth of any as yet undiscovered tumors that we have. Hopefully this research is confirmed.

small> photo credit: Deco Fernandes

[tags]omega-3 fatty acids, cancer, solid tumor, DHA[/tags]