Controversies Surrounding Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer
Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216.
Xinchun Zhou, MD, PhD, Akram Shalaby, MD, Timothy C. Allen, MD, JD. “Controversies Surrounding Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer”. American Research Journal of Urology, 2019; 3(1): 1-19.
Abstract
Context: Omega-3 poly unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) have been widely studied regarding their associations with pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa); however, no agreement has been reached as to whether omega-3 PUFAs are protective by reducing the risk of PCa.
Objective: To provide information to public readers regarding thecontroversies in the effects of individual omega-3 PUFA species, including α-Linolenic acid (ALA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on PCa, and regarding the causes underlying these controversies.
Data Sources: Research articles archived online related to the effects of omega-3 PUFAs on PCa published in the past four decades. The protective effect of each omega-3 PUFA species on PCa was evaluated in study categories of epidemiological survey/food query, plasma/RBC membrane, prostatic tissue, PCa cell line in vitro, and clinical trial/animal modelin vivo.
Conclusions: Controversies surrounding omega-3 PUFAs and PCa broadly exist in each individual omega-3 PUFAspecies, between omega-3 PUFAs from plant and sea food sources, and among omega-3 PUFAs from sea food sources in every study categories. These controversies are mainly due to: 1) presuming that the levels omega-3 PUFAs in circulation, in RBC membranes and in estimates in diet intake are proportional to those in prostate; 2) using percentage changes to represent alterations in real concentrations of omega-3 PUFAs between two pathological conditions in data analysis, and 3) administrating omega-3 PUFA(s) to PCa cells in vitro with doses far above physiological levels in human prostate in some studies.
Objective: To provide information to public readers regarding thecontroversies in the effects of individual omega-3 PUFA species, including α-Linolenic acid (ALA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on PCa, and regarding the causes underlying these controversies.
Data Sources: Research articles archived online related to the effects of omega-3 PUFAs on PCa published in the past four decades. The protective effect of each omega-3 PUFA species on PCa was evaluated in study categories of epidemiological survey/food query, plasma/RBC membrane, prostatic tissue, PCa cell line in vitro, and clinical trial/animal modelin vivo.
Conclusions: Controversies surrounding omega-3 PUFAs and PCa broadly exist in each individual omega-3 PUFAspecies, between omega-3 PUFAs from plant and sea food sources, and among omega-3 PUFAs from sea food sources in every study categories. These controversies are mainly due to: 1) presuming that the levels omega-3 PUFAs in circulation, in RBC membranes and in estimates in diet intake are proportional to those in prostate; 2) using percentage changes to represent alterations in real concentrations of omega-3 PUFAs between two pathological conditions in data analysis, and 3) administrating omega-3 PUFA(s) to PCa cells in vitro with doses far above physiological levels in human prostate in some studies.
