Report: Fatty acids may help prevent colon cancer
July 14, 2009 by Personal Liberty News Desk
A research review published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology has summarized a study on the potential role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in lowering the risk of colon tumors.
DHA is an omega 3 essential fatty acid that can be found in fish oil and algae.
The international study focused on the impact of n-3 and n-6 PUFA on PGE2, a key factor in the development of colorectal cancer.
Researchers from the Charite University Hospital in Berlin led by Jing X. Kang from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that adding DHA to a colon cancer cell line reduced cell growth and viability during the incubation period.
They also showed that the n-3 PUFA DHA can directly suppress PGE2-induced colon cancer cell growth.
The results appear to support the calls for dietary supplementation with DHA as a powerful tool to counteract PGE2-promoted colon cancer growth that is associated with the Western diet. This type of diet tends to be rich in red meat and deficient in fresh produce, and in addition to being blamed for an increased rate of cancers, it has also been linked to cardiovascular diseases.
According to American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among Americans. Some 150,000 new cases are diagnosed and nearly 50,000 people die from the disease each year.
New data would suggest that vitamin D deficiency is by far the most important predisposing factor in causing cancer. If you are interested in vitamin D you should take a look at http://www.vitaminD3world.com The Canadian Cancer Society now recommends that everyone take vitamin D to prevent cancer. The site has good summaries of the data and offers a new preparation of vitamin D in a micro-pill formulation. The pills have been formulated with cellulose which absorbs water very quickly. This ensures that the pill breaks up very quickly to provide for maximum absorption. The micro pill is tiny and tasteless. Many vitamin D pills on the market have very poor dissolution properties resulting in poor absorption.
The site also offers to supply customers with a free supply of 400IU for their children and it also has a good newsletter.
I think there are so many “take this for Cancer” supplements out there, why not try food first? I am a colon cancer patient and must admit much of my diet was a red meat diet. Mostly because fresh produce is so expensive and I would buy what I could afford. I like fresh produce but with the chemo unfortunately every thing I eat has to be warm (side effect) and so you lose much of your nutrients in cooking.