Potent Anticancer Actions of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids of Fish Oil

Fish oil has not historically been a subject of study, and it is only because of the increasing recognition of its importance to human nutrition and health that it has become a topic of interest. The earliest studies on the health benefits of marine fish oil were conducted by Dyerberg and Bang who discovered that the deepwater fish, which contains omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ѠPFAs), was responsible for the low incidence of heart disease among Eskimo populations.

In the following 20 years after their finding, prospective epidemiological studies from the Netherlands, Chicago, and the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial also confirmed the preventive effects of omega-3 fish oil on coronary heart disease. These early observations led to increases in research examining the beneficial effects of ѠPFAs on numerous debilitating as well as common conditions, and up to now, it is almost impossible to find any human disorder where ѠPFAs have not been tested. The finding from these studies lead health professionals to encourage the general population to consume more cold water fish, increasing omega-3 fish oil content in human diets.

Because of the minimal host cell toxicity and easy availability, cancer prevention and treatment using natural substances as dietary supplements have received tremendous interest in the past decades, and numerous food-derived natural products are currently under evaluation in oncology clinical trials. Prompted by the observation that diet rich in fish oil has been associated with a lower incidence of common cancers in many human populations dietary intake of ѠPFAs from fish oil for cancer prevention and treatment becomes the subject of intense study. This is not totally surprising, considering that cancer is highly associated with dietary fat intake, and that 30%-40% of all cancers can be prevented by appropriate diets.

Increasing evidence from epidemiology, in vitro and animal studies suggest that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly the long-chain ѠPFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), can suppress cancer development at different stages. Although another shorter chain ѠPFAs, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) exists, and can be slowly desaturated and elongated to EPA and DHA in the human body, it is mainly found in green leafy vegetables and walnuts, which are also rich in linoleic acid (LA), the precursor of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cancer.

We have this available on https://seatechbioproducts.com/marine-oils

Marine Nutraceuticals Prospects and Perspectives- Edited by Se-Kwon Kim (Page 200-201)

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