Low Omega-6, Omega-3 Rich Diet and Fish Oil May Slow Prostate Cancer Growth
Can Diet Slow Prostate cancer Growth? New UCLA Study Offers Hope
los Angeles, CA – A groundbreaking study from UCLA Health Jonsson Complete Cancer Center suggests that simple dietary changes could substantially slow the growth of prostate cancer cells in men opting for active surveillance. Published in the Journal of clinical Oncology, the research offers a glimmer of hope for those seeking non-invasive ways to manage their disease.
“This is a major step forward in understanding how diet can perhaps influence prostate cancer outcomes,” said Dr. william Aronson, Professor of Urology at the david Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and lead author of the study. ”Many men are looking for lifestyle changes, including dietary adjustments, to help manage their cancer and delay the need for more aggressive treatments. Our findings suggest that something as straightforward as changing your diet could potentially slow cancer growth and extend the time before surgery or radiation becomes necessary.”
Active surveillance, a treatment approach that involves closely monitoring the cancer without immediate intervention, is often chosen by men with low-risk prostate cancer. However, within five years, approximately half of these men will require more aggressive therapies. This has led to a strong desire among patients to find ways to delay the need for these interventions, including through dietary changes or supplements.
The UCLA-led team conducted a prospective clinical trial, called CAPFISH-3, involving 100 men with low-risk or favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer who had chosen active surveillance. Participants were randomly assigned to either maintain their normal diet or follow a diet low in omega-6 fatty acids and high in omega-3 fatty acids, supplemented with fish oil, for one year.
Researchers tracked changes in the Ki-67 index, a biomarker that indicates how rapidly cancer cells are multiplying – a key predictor of cancer progression, metastasis, and survival. Using an image fusion device to precisely locate cancer sites, they obtained biopsies at the beginning and end of the study.The results were striking. The group following the low omega-6, omega-3 rich diet with fish oil supplements experienced a 15% decrease in the Ki-67 index, while the control group saw a 24% increase.
“This significant difference suggests that these dietary changes may help slow cancer growth, potentially delaying or even preventing the need for more aggressive treatments,” said Aronson, who is also Chief of Urologic Oncology at the West Los Angeles Veterans affairs Medical center and a member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
While the findings are encouraging, researchers did not observe differences in other cancer growth markers, such as Gleason grade.
Further research is needed to confirm the long-term benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and lowering omega-6 intake in managing prostate cancer. However, the study’s findings strongly support larger, long-term trials to explore the impact of dietary changes on cancer progression, treatment outcomes, and survival rates in men on active surveillance.The study’s senior author is Dr. Susanne Henning, adjunct professor emerita and former director of the nutritional biomarker laboratory at the Center for Human Nutrition at UCLA.
Can Diet Slow Prostate Cancer Growth? UCLA Study Offers Hope
New Research Suggests Dietary Changes May Delay Aggressive Treatments
A groundbreaking study from UCLA Health Jonsson Complete Cancer Center suggests a simple change in diet coudl significantly slow the growth of prostate cancer cells in men opting for active surveillance. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, offers new hope for those seeking non-invasive ways to manage their disease.
“This is a major step forward in understanding how diet can influence prostate cancer outcomes,” said Dr. William Aronson,Professor of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and lead author of the study.”Many men are looking for lifestyle changes, including dietary adjustments, to help manage their cancer and delay the need for more aggressive treatments. Our findings suggest that something as straightforward as changing your diet could possibly slow cancer growth and extend the time before surgery or radiation becomes necessary.”
Active surveillance, a treatment approach involving close monitoring without immediate intervention, is often chosen by men with low-risk prostate cancer. However, about half of these men require more aggressive therapies within five years. This has spurred a desire among patients to find ways to delay these interventions, including through dietary changes or supplements.
The UCLA-led team conducted a prospective clinical trial, called CAPFISH-3, involving 100 men with low-risk or favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer who had chosen active surveillance. Participants were randomly assigned to either maintain their normal diet or follow a diet low in omega-6 fatty acids and high in omega-3 fatty acids, supplemented with fish oil, for one year.
The researchers tracked changes in the Ki-67 index, a biomarker reflecting cancer cell multiplication rate – a key predictor of cancer progression, metastasis, and survival.Using an image fusion device to precisely locate cancer sites, they obtained biopsies at the beginning and end of the study.
Results showed a 15% decrease in the Ki-67 index for the group following the low omega-6, omega-3 rich diet with fish oil supplements, compared to a 24% increase in the control group.
“This significant difference suggests that these dietary changes may help slow cancer growth,potentially delaying or even preventing the need for more aggressive treatments,” said Aronson,who is also Chief of Urologic Oncology at the West Los Angeles Veterans affairs Medical Center and a member of the UCLA Health jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
While the findings are encouraging, researchers did not observe differences in other cancer growth markers, such as gleason grade.
Further research is needed to confirm the long-term benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and lowering omega-6 intake in managing prostate cancer. However, the study’s findings strongly support larger, long-term trials to explore the impact of dietary changes on cancer progression, treatment outcomes, and survival rates in men on active surveillance.
The study’s senior author is Dr.Susanne Henning, adjunct professor emerita and former director of the nutritional biomarker laboratory at the Center for human Nutrition at UCLA.