Consuming omega-3 fatty acids may strengthen effects of tamoxifen
Researchers at the Fox Chase Cancer Center have unveiled the results of a study that may prove to be good news for patients who buy tamoxifen to reduce their risk of breast cancer.
Researchers at the Fox Chase Cancer Center have unveiled the results of a study that may prove to be good news for patients who buy tamoxifen to reduce their risk of breast cancer. According to the study, consuming omega-3 fatty acids - which are found in abundance in fish - may strengthen the effects of the medication.
Lead author Jose Russo and his team induced mammary tumors in a group of laboratory rats. They divided the animals into four groups, one of which received a 17 percent fish oil diet with tamoxifen, while a second was fed the same diet without the drug. The other two groups ate a 20 percent corn oil diet, either with or without the breast cancer medication.
The scientists discovered that omega-3 fatty acids had a protective effect that was most significant among rodents that consumed the fish oil diet with tamoxifen. The nutrient successfully reduced the expression of genes linked to tumor proliferation and metastasis.
"If a tumor was being treated with tamoxifen, the addition of an omega-3 fatty acid diet seemed to make the tumor more benign and less aggressive, [as well as more] responsive to tamoxifen," Russo concluded.
Patients who buy tamoxifen and consume a nutrient-rich diet may substantially reduce their chances of developing breast cancer.
|
