How omega-3s and omega-6s impact cancer risk

If you’ve been a health nut for any length of time, you certainly know about the benefits of omega-3 essential fatty acids.

You may hear less about them, but omega-6’s have their benefits as well, although with a few caveats.

In any event, it won’t surprise you to hear that research has uncovered a way that both of these fatty acids may protect us from the most dreaded disease of all…

The benefits of fatty acids

Omega-3s and omega-6 are both essential fats — essentially meaning your body can’t produce them internally so you need to consume them in your diet.

They are also considered macronutrients — meaning the body needs them in larger amounts to function properly.

The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are well known. Optimal amounts can help lower your blood pressure and protect your heart.

And a decade-long study has proven that omega-6 fatty acids, also in optimal amounts, may help save you from an early death.

Now, as if that weren’t enough reason to make sure you get enough, there’s evidence that these two healthy fats in the right balance can help ward off a range of cancers…

Reduced risks for a range of cancers

A study from the University of Georgia has found that higher levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids were associated with a lower risk of developing many cancers.

The study relied on data from a United Kingdom-based study of over 250,000 people who were followed for a little more than a decade. Of those participants, almost 30,000 developed some form of cancer during the study period.

The risk of four types of cancer – colon, stomach, hepatobiliary tract and lung – was reduced by as much as 8 percent in people with higher blood levels of omega-3s.  

And of the 19 cancers studied, higher omega-6 levels were associated with a 7 percent reduced risk for 14 of them, including head and neck, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, hepatobiliary tract, pancreas, lung, malignant melanoma, connective soft tissue, kidney, bladder, brain, and thyroid cancer.

Things were a little complex, however:

• However, higher omega-3 levels were associated with a 3 percent increased risk of prostate cancer.
• Ovarian, breast, uterine, and those affecting lymphoid and hematopoietic tissues appeared to have no significant association with either omega-3 or omega-6 levels.
• Omega-6s seemed to have a stronger overall protective effect among younger individuals, especially women, despite not protecting against the 3 cancers mainly affecting women.

“For women, it’s an easy decision: Eat more omega-3,” said Kaixiong Ye, PhD, associate professor at the University of Georgia and author of the study. 

Men, however, may need to give their amount of omega-3 intake some careful consideration. Omega-3s are necessary for brain, heart, blood vessel health and the immune and endocrine systems, so they need to at least get the minimum RDA (1.6 g for men) through diet.

The controversy around omega-6s

“These findings suggest that the average person should focus on getting more of these fatty acids in their diets,” said Yuchen Zhang, lead author of the study and doctoral student in the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health.

However, while omega-3 fats are anti-inflammatory, omega-6’s are pro-inflammatory and have been linked to health problems like asthma, depression, bone loss, heart disease and even cancer.

High intake of omega-6 fatty acids increases the risk of developing high blood pressure in people with diabetes. They can also increase triglycerides.

The typical American diet contains 14 to 25 more omega-6s than omega-3s and is not considered a healthy diet.

To reach a healthier balance of omega-3s to omega-6s, consider the Mediterranean diet, rich in fatty fish. It’s heavier on omega-3s and lighter on omega-6s. It’s also heavy in fruits and vegetables, and plant-based diets have a great reputation for helping people live longer and healthier cancer-free lives.

Sources:

High levels of omega-3, omega-6 may protect against cancer — Science Daily