Eating more fish like mackerel and salmon could help prevent cancer after a study by top scientists in Belgium revealed that fatty omega-3 acids can kill tumour cells in just days.The groundbreaking study was conducted by researchers at the University of Louvain (UCLouvain), one of Belgium’s largest universities, with numerous facilities located in Louvain-la-Neuve, Charleroi, Tournai, Mons, Namur, and the capital city Brussels.In a statement, the scientists who authored the multidisciplinary study, PhD candidate in bioengineering and pharmacology Emeline Dierge, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research Professor Olivier Feron, and Faculty of BioengineeringProfessor Yvan Larondelle, explained that one of the acids that makes up omega-3 is called Docosahexaenoic (DHA for short).They said that they have now found that DHA, which is “crucial to brain function, vision and the regulation of inflammatory phenomena”, can “slow the development of tumours.”Labelling the find a “major advance” in the field, the team, which specialises in oncology (the study of cancer), said that it all started when Professor Feron found out in 2016 that “cells in an acidic microenvironment (acidosis) within tumours replace glucose with lipids as an energy source in order to multiply”.After discussing his discovery with his colleague Professor Larondelle, they decided to combine their skills in a research project led by PhD candidate Emeline Dierge, “to evaluate the behaviour of tumour cells in the presence of different fatty acids.”Thanks to the support of the Fondation Louvain, the Belgian Cancer Foundation and the Televie telethon, they quickly found out that “certain fatty acids stimulated the tumour cells while others killed them.”They added: “DHA literally poisons them.”This natural tumour poison “acts on tumour cells via a phenomenon called ferroptosis, a type of cell death linked to the peroxidation of certain fatty acids”, the researchers explained in their statement.The statement also said: “The greater the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the cell, the greater the risk of their oxidation.“Normally, in the acidic compartment within tumours, cells store these fatty acids in lipid droplets, a kind of bundle in which fatty acids are protected from oxidation.“But in the presence of a large amount of DHA, the tumour cell is overwhelmed and cannot store the DHA, which oxidises and leads to cell death.“By using a lipid metabolism inhibitor that prevents the formation of lipid droplets, researchers were able to observe that this phenomenon is further amplified, which confirms the identified mechanism and opens the door to combined treatment possibilities.”To conduct their study, “3D tumour cell culture system, called spheroids”, which “imploded” when in the presence of the DHA acid.They added: “The team also administered a DHA-enriched diet to mice with tumours.
The result: tumour development was significantly slowed compared to that in mice on a conventional diet.”They concluded that adults should “consume at least 250 mg of DHA per day.
But studies show that our diet provides on average only 50 to 100 mg per day.
This is well below the minimum recommended intake.”The study has been published in the prestigious Cell Metabolism journal.According to the US Food and drug administration, a typical fish oil supplement dose holds about 1,000 mg of fish oil, which contains 120 mg of DHA.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults consume at least 250 mg to 500 mg of omega-3 every day.According to the US Department of agriculture, one serving of mackerel or salmon contains over 4,000 mg of omega-3, making it extremely dense source of DHA.(UCLouvain/Zenger News)