Brussels-Sana
A new study has found that there is a type in the group of "omega-3" acids that helps reduce the incidence of cancer.
In a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the Belgian University of Louvain demonstrated the biochemical mechanism that allows docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, to slow the development of tumors.
According to the study, the research team evaluated the behavior of cancer cells in all 20 types of fatty acids and concluded that cancer cells responded in completely different ways according to the fatty acids they absorb, while some fatty acids enhance cancer cells and help them spread, noting that the researchers discovered that DHA succeeds in poisoning cells. completely cancerous and killed it within a few weeks.
The poison in this acid acts on cancer cells through a phenomenon represented by the death of cells after being linked to the peroxide of some fatty acids. The greater the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the cell, the greater the risk of oxidation.
Usually in the acidic compartment inside tumors, the cells store these acids in fatty droplets, and in the presence of a large amount of docosahexaenoic acid, the cancer cells sink and cannot store it, which leads to its oxidation and death of these cells.
By using a lipid metabolism inhibitor that prevents the formation of droplets of fat in the body, the authors of the study were able to observe the amplification of the phenomenon of toxicity of cancer cells with DHA, which opens the door to hope in finding a treatment for patients with cancerous tumors.
“Good fatty acids” are essential for human health, brain function, vision, and regulation of inflammatory phenomena.
