Soo Nice I thought I'd post it twice - omega 3 and Herceptin

[R.B.]

"it is reasonable to suggest that a low omega-6/omega-3 PUFA ratio and elevated MUFA levels, the two prominent <> of the <>, should be extremely efficient at blocking HER2 expression in breast cancer cells."

I have not looked to see if there is a full trial report, and it is shown as "in progress". Much of it seems lab based and it is looking at the mother fat found in flaxseed oil veg etc.

Complicated as usual but of sufficient wider interest to post on this section (I hope) particularly in views of possible synergies with Herceptin. Not absolutes but more straws in the wind.

Please discuss dietary changes with your advisors. You can always print out the trial summary and take it along.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=17134970

ABSTRACT

"BACKGROUND: Data derived from epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that alphalinolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n-3), the main omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) present in the Western diet, may have protective effects in breast cancer risk and metastatic progression. A recent pilot clinical trial assessing the effects of ALA-rich dietary flaxseed on tumor biological markers in postmenopausal patients with primary breast cancer demonstrated significant reductions in tumor growth and in HER2 (erbB-2) oncogene expression."...................

................"Moreover, the nature of the cytotoxic interaction between ALA and trastuzumab (Herceptin) revealed a significant synergism as assessed by MTT-based cell viability assays. CONCLUSIONS: i) These findings reveal that the omega-3 PUFA ALA suppresses overexpression of HER2 oncogene at the transcriptional level, which, in turn, interacts synergistically with anti-HER2 trastuzumab- based immunotherapy. ii) Our results molecularly support a recent randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial suggesting that ALA may be a potential dietary alternative or adjunct to currently used drugs in the management of HER2-positive breast carcinomas. iii) Considering our previous findings demonstrating the <<HER2 upregulatory actions>> of the omega-6 PUFA linolenic acid (LA; 18:2n-6) and the <<HER2 down-regulatory actions >> of the omega-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) and of the omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid (OA; 18:1n-9), it is reasonable to suggest that a low omega-6/omega-3 PUFA ratio and elevated MUFA levels, the two prominent <<fat features>> of the <<Mediterranean diet>>, should be extremely efficient at blocking HER2 expression in breast cancer cells."

THANK YOU for your research.

RB

[Becky]

Great news. Thanks for the post and your diligence.

[RhondaH]

thanks for your diligence. Take care and God bless.

Rhonda

[Tom]

R.B. you're the best. I knew your hunch would be born out eventually, and I am very happy for you. I honestly believe that the success I have had with Mom was due in large part to the large doses of high quality Omega-3 and flaxseed oil I have been giving her. The Omega-9 and ALA in the flaxssed oil must have been doing their thing all along. Thanks for all of your posts over the months.

Sincerely,
Tom

[jhandley]

Dear RB
When I was first dx in 2001 I came across Dr Budwig's protocol re. flaxseed oil and went on it. Unfortunately I lapsed at times and this may have contributed to my reoccurence in same breast in 2005 (which I am sure was there in 2001 just not detected). I also had a 15 mm spot on the liver in 2005.
Now I am religious about having 20 ml/day mixed with skim milk and milo and up to 10 g of fish oil. I also have one flaxseed muffin a day containing 25 g flax meal(reduces her 2overexpression by 70%) and 200 mg Q10. I also take a sip of reishi and olive leaf extracts per day, B vit and K and Mg. Anyway "spot" disappeared quick smart and I have been NED since.

Also
Last month I had a her 2 serum blood test 4.5 weeks after herceptin and the result was 7.6... a result I am sure has as much to do with the regime above as the herceptin.

Also these things (omega 3's and Q10) all cross the blood brain barrier so I am hoping they will protect me from brain trouble.

I am totally pedantic now about my 3/6 ratio and dont eat anything with vegetable fat on the label and no oils unless olive,canola or flax.

As a scientist myself (PhD chemistry) I have found ample evidence that this approach works. I f people can do this one thing they will save themselves so many health worries in the future.

Keep up the good work RB!

Cheers
Jackie (down under)

[Tom]

All I can say is thank God we have our own crop of propeller heads on this site. I love it.

Tom

[R.B.]

Thank you so much for the support. It is very much appreciated. I am passionate about the topic and it is great to hear that others feel similarly or are getting to think about the issue.

Limited trials on brain trumours have shown a relation to higher levels of omega six (see previous posts).

60% plus of the brain is fat. A significant potion of that is omega three. If DHA is short it is replaced by the nearest omega six 22:5.

DHA has particular electrromechanical properties and loss of DHA in animal models has has been connect with reduced function, cell development issues etc.

Long chain omega threes are very much a brain issue.

Smart Fats, and The Natural Way to Beat Depression are books that emphasise this.

RB

[tousled1]

I have a long history of high cholesterol/triglycerides and also pre-diabetic. My primary care physican prescribed Lipitor for the cholesterol and Omacor for the triglycerides. In doing my research when presdribed the Omacor I found that Omacor is actually the first and only FDA approved prescription Omega 3 fatty acid product. So I guess I am benefiting from the Omacor in more ways that I knew. Also my cholesterol and triglycerides are now normal.

[RhondaH]

lets here it for "propellor heads"!!!!! Seriously, it is THIS and the provocative thinking that keeps me at THIS site and no others. There is (but doesn't seem to be as much of late) a lot of thoughtfull discussions. The CHAT rooms REALLY provide this and depending on the time, look forward to participating. Take care and God bless.

Rhonda

[RobinP]

Thanks for the great article RB, and for keeping after us about the importance of omega 3s.

PS. I eat fish for the omega 3s, but what do others here eat besides fish in order to get their omega3s? I heard Kiwi was good.

[Margerie]

Yes, I need the omega 3 and omega 6 for dummies list! Maybe the top ten good and the top ten bad.

[AlaskaAngel]

Add my name to the dummies list, Marjorie. I have been doing many of the same things Jackie has been doing but I'm fuzzier about it (I'm no chemist) and when somebody as knowledeable as RobinP is asking too it seems to me we do need a better bridge between science and action. I can figure out omega-3's, especially because with all the publicity there is good labeling for the amounts, like on some egg cartons, etc., but I'm having a harder time figuring out how much omega-6's I'm eating, so that I can figure out just how much omega-3 to eat to get the balance.

AlaskaAngel

[R.B.]

I have replied to this before but where? and it is probably easier to "re-do"

Food for thought based on my musings rather than what I have read - You are likley not only dealing with day to day consumption but also your stored fat will largley reflect historic dietary intake. So as you change your fat profile the body will be using/releasing it stores of omega six ????

Breast tissue takes about six months to significantly change fat content to reflect diet. Some changes will take days. Gluteal fat is reported to take even years to change. This is a long term project.

Here is a link that gives an idea as to food content re fats. There is no easy way you just have to check the things you eat until you get a general idea what is likley to be a problem and what is not.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/topics/fatty-acids

Omega threes in todays diet are relatively scarce.

AND we are feeding our food sources on grain so they now have a higher omega six profile - incuding cattle, farmed fish etc. Check the above link for yourself but general indicators...

1. Grass or natural fed or wild is best - lamb, eggs, fish including the small cheap oily ones etc. (organic looses value in fats terms if it is grain fed - corn fed chicken etc) (grass fed dairy has higher threes too)

2. Nuts and seeds with very limited exceptions are high in six. A brazil from memory contains one gram of omega six - about the same as a teaspoon of fish oil does long chain omega three. Of course it is more complex nuts have good levels of antioxidants etc, but variety and probably not more than a palmful a day. These were scarce and seasonal for our ancestors. Some nuts have more omega three than others eg, but it is generally much lower than the omega six they also provide.

3.WATCH OUT - Vegetable oils are high in omega six or have some omega six - AND - IT IS CONCENTRATED a table spoon of sunflower oil whatever quality is lot of omega six - balancing that would take some. Please check on the link below. Non virgin olive is high in six. Flaxseed and perillia are some of the rare vegetable sources with higher levels of omega three. Canola sits in the middle.

So most processed food will be out - as most contain vegetable oil and many in the form of trans fats (Trans fats stop the body making long chain omega threes). I am not saying don't eat them but you likely will find increasingly you pick them up read teh label and put them back down.

4. LONG CHAIN omega three sources are very limited. Only oily fish and algal products have serious quantities. If your body is not making them well the mother fat in green things seed sources etc this is the only way to get them. Many drugs work through the fat pathways at some level including Herceptin. Exactly what imapct many have on the manifacture of long chain fats is not known - but many pain killers anti inflamatories etc do work in the general area, so supplementation would seem prudent just in case.

5. Green things - Balanced omega three six mother fats some more of one some more of the other

Temperature will damage the polyunsaturates which leaves olive oil butter etc to cook but probably little little.

Probably supplementation with long chain omega threes is the way to go. Overall less to strict moderation of the right fats.

A trial suggested women's uptake of DHA trails off at about 2 grams of DHA a day - check the label.

Please do talk to your medical advisors about dietary change omega three etc.

RB

[Margerie]

Thank you RB and Rhonda!

My breast tissue is gone, but that gluteal fat of mine will take YEARS to convert-LOL!

Looking at my current diet and supplements:

Good: taking fish oil 2,000mg with 600 mg a day Omega-3, taking 2,600 mg flaxseed oil tabs (1,560 mg Omega3, 312mg Omega6, 186mg Omega9) per day, 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds per day, eat mostly (from Rhonda's list in her post): salmon (wild), organic chicken, halibut and turkey of questionable origins (haha), shrimp, broccoli, some raw tofu, other fresh fruit and vegetables. Try to stick to whole grain carbs. Hardly ever eat processed foods, make all meals from scratch.

Bad: like sweets- bake with butter. Need to find substitute. Am addicted to walnuts- handful every other day may be ok. Like peanut butter- at least Costco has an organic with no trans fat or sugar. Sometimes can't resist movie theater popcorn- horrible!!

Not sure: cook with extra virgin olive oil and use use Earth Balance non-gmo, non-hydrogenated "buttery spread" instead of margarine (organic oil blend includes palm, soybean, canola and olive oil "8:1 ratio Omega6 to Omega3") Drink a daily glass of organic 1% milk (1.5g sat fat per serving, no trans fat) Are these ok?

If anyone sees any room for improvement, please let me know.

I appreciate all the insight an discussion here. Why nutrition is not part of treating cancer I can't imagine!!

[RhondaH]

I TOO bake w/ butter (read somewhere, and I will do some digging, that margarine is not as healthy as butter). I RARELY eat butter, but if I do, I want the real thing and I buy organic butter (STRICTLY organic dairy, eggs, meat and certain fruits and veg). Salt is something else I eat next to none of and like my mom says (lets face it, there must be SOME truth to the way people used to live and eat), you need a "certain" amount of salt for the iodine to prevent "gout" I think she said it was. But hey, I eat healthy 90% of the time, but I DO have my weakness's and if I were to "rate" my Omega 3-Omega 6 ratio, it would be 10:1 instead of the other way around. Keep up the good work. Take care and God bless.

Rhonda

[RobinP]

Thanks for the information Rhonda, it was helpful. The bottom line is even though I know what is good for the omega threes-mainly fish, I'm just not sure if I'm getting enough of it. Plus,sometimes it is easy to get carried away with one's diet and forget how to eat right, incorporating the omega threes. When that happens, I feel discouraged like a donkey's hole, if you know what I mean.
Robin

[Belinda]

Hi Jackie - Belinda here - from Adelaide - I would be very interested in any references you have for the info in your post. I Am just starting my journey with BC (well, the Journey I know about),

Dx 3/1/07, LHS mastectomy 10/1/07, RHS Mastectomy 1/2/07, chemo due to start chemo 16/2 (subject t proper healing on most recent wound). Grade 3 cancer, Stage IIB/?III, HER 2 positive , several tumours largest 4cm, 6/19 positive nodes, with vascular invasion. Age 42.

So, I am trying to assemble information that will let me take better control of all of this. If you have the time and energy (and I know we are all on a journey that can sap our souls) then any pointers would be really appreciated. Kind regards - Belinda

[R.B.]

Margerie

Your buttery spread - how do they make it solid at room temperature - how is it processed?

If you use regular amounts of buttery spread it clearly will contain significantly more omega six than three which may impact on your three six balance.

Bio availability of long chain omega threes will depend on your intake and ability to convert.

A trial suggested uptake of DHA tailed off at about 2 grams a day which is quite a bit above your intake. Bottled fish oil is more convenient and cheaper for me. There are some vegitarian equivalents but see post by heblaj who provided some links on the subject.

I am afraid there are no definative answers and you just have to read round the subject. Based only on my amateur reading I would err on higher three than six within reason.

Please do talk to your advisors about dietary change.

RB

[Margerie]

RB,

The tub says "we churn it with expellor-pressed, certified organic vegetable oils" earthbalance.net

I don't use it much, just a dab on vegetables or brown rice. The kids use it on their waffles.

Thanks- I will look for fish oil in a bottle. I have time to research- can't take the oils for a couple of weeks due to upcoming surgery.

Also I am on Synthroid now, which has some anti-coag properties. I know neither my onc or ent are going to want to advise me on supplements!! Oh well, going to take a crack at them.

[Lauriemn]

I thought canola oil was the better choice for cooking than olive oil. I use olive oil in salads, but I use canola when cooking.

I also use the smart balance mayo,margaine and peanut butter. while the balance of 6 is still higher than the 3, the ratio is alot better than "regular" mayo,pb,etc

Laurie