HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - The traditional diet of Greece and cancer.

R.B. · 07-10-2008, 02:35 PM

There are a number of trials with chemo drugs suggesting synergies with long chain Omega 3.

It is something obviously to discuss with your medical adviser before altering your diet.

If you want to search for your particular chemo combinations try entering the drug and DHA or EPA or Omega 3 and see what comes up. You could always take the result along with you to show your advisors. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Here they are suggesting Omega 3 may effect Her2. [ In an other trial it has been shown Omega 3 and 6 change Her2 gene expression by significant amounts in rat skeletal muscular tissue.]

Trials on other cancers suggest that DHA may increase rates of cell death. In healthy cells long chain omega 3s may be protective and some reports suggest an antioxidant effect - and DHA seems to have a part to play in defective cell kill off. It is very complicated and I only post these views through the thick mist so you understand that DHA is OK for healthy cells - dolphins would be in trouble otherwise (-: with all the fish they eat.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

J Nutr Biochem. 2008 Jul 3. [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links
The potential for treatment with dietary long-chain polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids during chemotherapy.
Biondo PD, Brindley DN, Sawyer MB, Field CJ.

Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2P5.

Dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 (or n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can affect numerous processes in the body, including cardiovascular, neurological and immune functions, as well as cancer. Studies on human cancer cell lines, animal models and preliminary trials with human subjects suggest that administration of EPA and DHA, found naturally in our diet in fatty fish, can alter toxicities and/or activity of many drugs used to treat cancer. Multiple mechanisms are proposed to explain how n-3 PUFA modulate the tumor cell response to chemotherapeutic drugs. n-3 PUFA are readily incorporated into cell membranes and lipid rafts, and their incorporation may affect membrane-associated signaling proteins such as Ras, Akt and Her-2/neu. Due to their high susceptibility to oxidation, it has also been proposed that n-3 PUFA may cause irreversible tumor cell damage through increased lipid peroxidation. n-3 PUFA may increase tumor cell susceptibility to apoptosis by altering expression or function of apoptotic proteins, or by modulating activity of survival-related transcription factors such as nuclear factor-kappaB. Some studies suggest n-3 PUFA may increase drug uptake or even enhance drug activation (e.g., in the case of some nucleoside analogue drugs). Further research is warranted to identify specific mechanisms by which n-3 PUFA increase chemotherapy efficacy and to determine the optimal cellular/membrane levels of n-3 PUFA required to promote these mechanisms, such that these fatty acids may be prescribed as adjuvants to chemotherapy.

07-10-2008, 02:35 PM	#250
R.B. Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,843	There are a number of trials with chemo drugs suggesting synergies with long chain Omega 3. It is something obviously to discuss with your medical adviser before altering your diet. If you want to search for your particular chemo combinations try entering the drug and DHA or EPA or Omega 3 and see what comes up. You could always take the result along with you to show your advisors. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ Here they are suggesting Omega 3 may effect Her2. [ In an other trial it has been shown Omega 3 and 6 change Her2 gene expression by significant amounts in rat skeletal muscular tissue.] Trials on other cancers suggest that DHA may increase rates of cell death. In healthy cells long chain omega 3s may be protective and some reports suggest an antioxidant effect - and DHA seems to have a part to play in defective cell kill off. It is very complicated and I only post these views through the thick mist so you understand that DHA is OK for healthy cells - dolphins would be in trouble otherwise (-: with all the fish they eat. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum J Nutr Biochem. 2008 Jul 3. [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links The potential for treatment with dietary long-chain polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids during chemotherapy. Biondo PD, Brindley DN, Sawyer MB, Field CJ. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2P5. Dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 (or n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can affect numerous processes in the body, including cardiovascular, neurological and immune functions, as well as cancer. Studies on human cancer cell lines, animal models and preliminary trials with human subjects suggest that administration of EPA and DHA, found naturally in our diet in fatty fish, can alter toxicities and/or activity of many drugs used to treat cancer. Multiple mechanisms are proposed to explain how n-3 PUFA modulate the tumor cell response to chemotherapeutic drugs. n-3 PUFA are readily incorporated into cell membranes and lipid rafts, and their incorporation may affect membrane-associated signaling proteins such as Ras, Akt and Her-2/neu. Due to their high susceptibility to oxidation, it has also been proposed that n-3 PUFA may cause irreversible tumor cell damage through increased lipid peroxidation. n-3 PUFA may increase tumor cell susceptibility to apoptosis by altering expression or function of apoptotic proteins, or by modulating activity of survival-related transcription factors such as nuclear factor-kappaB. Some studies suggest n-3 PUFA may increase drug uptake or even enhance drug activation (e.g., in the case of some nucleoside analogue drugs). Further research is warranted to identify specific mechanisms by which n-3 PUFA increase chemotherapy efficacy and to determine the optimal cellular/membrane levels of n-3 PUFA required to promote these mechanisms, such that these fatty acids may be prescribed as adjuvants to chemotherapy. Last edited by R.B.; 07-10-2008 at 02:38 PM..