Omega-3: Omega-3 fatty acids: panacea or poison for prostate cancer patients? By Dr. Charles E. Myers Jr.

HSI recently came across some information from Dr. Charles Myers Jr., a US HSI Panellist and medical oncologist. We asked him to write the article below about prostate cancer and flaxseed. Over the past few years, you may recall the controversy over this topic. We thought it would help clarify the issue if an expert in the field gave us his opinion.

Ive seen it happen in my own practice. Prostate cancer patients who were doing just fine suddenly get worse much worse. Then I discover theyve started taking some kind of supplement that they werent taking before they were diagnosed. It was too big a coincidence not to look into further. What I found is crucial, even life-saving, information that you wont find on the labels of the supplements you buy in your local health food stores. But its information that you need to know, nonetheless.

I know hearing that flaxseed may be dangerous seems to contradict everything natural medicine stands for. After all, dietitians and alternative health practitioners commonly recommend omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil to their patients to help lower blood pressure, decrease cholesterol, and relieve the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis. But flaxseed, just like any substance natural or not isnt for everyone.

Nine published studies have analyzed the impact of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) one of the very substances in flaxseed that is thought to be healthful for most people and have found that it can increase your risk of developing prostate cancer or speed the progression of an existing condition (Refs. 1-9). (There is no evidence, however, that ALA increases the risks or growth rates of other cancers.)

Flaxseed is also not the only source you get ALA from. In an analysis of several hundred cases of prostate cancer among 51,000 men, Edward Giovannucci, M.D., of the Harvard Medical School, found that men who ate large amounts of meat and animal fat, high in ALA, were 80 per cent more likely to die from prostate cancer than those who ate meat sparingly (Ref. 10). Also at risk were men who ate large amounts of mayonnaise, creamy salad dressings and butter.

In a follow-up article, Giovannucci explained that men consuming meat five times a week were two to three times more likely to develop invasive prostate cancer than those who ate meat only once per week
(Ref. 11).

Ive done some laboratory research of my own, and I found that ALA more than doubled the growth rate of human prostate cancers. In fact, it was a greater stimulus than testosterone.

So, after looking at all the evidence stacked against flaxseed oil, I strongly recommend that men with prostate cancer shouldnt use it (or other oils rich in ALA). It also appears that men should limit their meat and fat intake to only a few times a week to restrict their ALA consumption through dietary fat.

Omega-3: You still need safe, effective sources of omega-3 fatty acids

But this creates a problem. While you dont need ALA, you do need omega-3 fatty acids theyre essential for maintaining optimum health. If you cant use flaxseed oil or ALA, you need to obtain these essential fatty acids from other sources.
Safe, effective sources, that is.

The omega-3 fatty acid we really need is DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and, to a lesser extent, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). DHA is essential for the normal development and functioning of the human brain and the retina. And both DHA and EPA can help protect you from cardiovascular disease and suppress inflammation in diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

By far, the best sources of these omega-3s are cold-water fish like salmon, herring, and sardines. Why are cold-water fish so rich in EPA and DHA? Well, these particular fatty acids act as natural anti-freezes, and land or ocean plants that grow in cold environments (such as algae) must make large amounts of EPA and DHA to function. The fish that feed on these plants store EPA and DHA in their flesh, body fat and liver oils.

But make sure you buy fish harvested from the ocean, not farm-raised fish. Farmers usually feed their fish corn, soy, and other grains and legumes, not DHA-rich plants like algae. Consequently, their fat doesnt have adequate DHA and EPA levels.

Omega-3: A safe, easy solution

If youd rather get your DHA right from the source, you can get it directly extracted from algae as a product called Neuromins, distributed by Martek Biosciences Corporation. Neuromins is very safe so safe even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it as an ingredient for all baby formulas. A daily dose of 200 to 400mg is sufficient.

Charles Myers, M.D. is a medical oncologist and the former Director of the Cancer Centre at the University of Virginia in the US. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of The Prostate Forum and founder of the American Institute for Disease of the Prostate in Charlottesville, VA, USA. For more information about his clinic and publications, call (800)305-2432.

References:

1. BJU Int 2006;97(2):270-3
2. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80(1):204-16
3. J Nutr 2004;134(4): 919-22
4. Prostate 2001;47(4):262-8
5. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2000;9(3):335-8
6. Int J cancer 1997;71(4):545-51
7. Cancer Causes Control 2004;15(4):367-86
8. Bull Cancer 2005;92(7):670-84
9. Anticancer Res 1996;16:815-20
10. J Natl Cancer Inst 1993;85:1571-9
11. J Natl Cancer Inst 1994;86:281-6