Study: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Against Colon Cancer

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston report they have demonstrated how omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil offer protection against colon cancer.

The researchers, reporting in the Journal of Cell Biology, said they have demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids block the action of a chemical called protein kinase C beta II (PKCbII), which is increasingly believed to promote colon cancer.

The researchers said that when they gave genetically modified mice whose colon cells overproduced PKCbII a diet high in omega-3 fatty acides, it reduced their inclination chance of colon cancer to that of normal mice.

"These data indicate that dietary omega-3 fatty acids prevent colon cancer, at least in part, through inhibition of colonic PKCßII signaling," the researchers concluded.

Other sources: Journal of Cell Biology