omega-6 fats hasten growth of prostate tumor

Filed in archive News , Studies on February 6, 2006

A study conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center reported that Omega-6 fatty acids--such as those found in corn oil--caused human prostate tumors in cell culture to grow twice as quickly:

An omega-6 fatty acid known as arachidonic acid turns on a gene signaling pathway that leads directly to tumor growth, according to principal investigator Millie Hughes-Fulford, PhD, director of the Laboratory of Cell Growth at SFVAMC and scientific advisor to the U. S. Under Secretary for Health for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"Investigating the reasons for this rapid growth, we discovered that the omega-6 was turning on a dozen inflammatory genes that are known to be important in cancer. We then asked what was turning on those genes, and found that omega-6 fatty acids actually turn on a signal pathway called PI3-kinase that is known to be a key player in cancer," she adds.

Omega 6 fatty acids are one of the two essential fatty acids (EFA), the other one is Omega-3. Omega-6 fats belong to a group of "good" fats called polyunsaturated fatty acids and are actually beneficial to health.

These are naturally present in cereals, eggs, poultry, most vegetable oils, whole-grain breads, baked goods, and margarine. The healthiest of the omega-6s are those that contain linoleic acid. These convert in the body to gamma linoleic acid (GLA) and ultimately to prostaglandins--hormonelike molecules that help regulate inflammation and blood pressure as well as heart, gastrointestinal, and kidney functions.

Most vegetable oils contain omega 6s, but men should steer clear of corn oil to get easy on the prostate.

Photo Source: dkfz-heidelberg.de