Feeding mice a diet rich in fish oil changes the fat composition in their breast tumors, and those tumors grow slower when treated with a common cancer drug.

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Role of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes in omega 3 fatty acids induced suppression of breast cancer xenograft growth in mice

Cohort Study

Animal

2002 Jul 17

Feeding mice fish oil made their breast tumors grow slower, especially when they also got chemotherapy, because the fish oil changed the fat makeup in the tumors and made them more vulnerable to treatment.

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No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Role of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes in omega 3 fatty acids induced suppression of breast cancer xenograft growth in mice

Score: 14

DOI: 10.1186/1475-2867-2-10

Similar Assertions

Fish oil and chemo together cause more oxidative damage in tumors than either alone, but that’s not the whole reason the tumors shrink — something else (like GPX suppression) matters more.

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Fish oil makes breast cancer tumors in mice produce less of an enzyme that protects them from oxidative damage, and this makes the cancer cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy.

79%

Mice with breast tumors that eat fish oil stay healthier and gain weight before treatment, while those on regular oil lose weight — suggesting fish oil helps fight cancer-related wasting.

74%