Can we beat nature? The good news seems to be that we can. Even people with a genetic predisposition for a disease can reduce the risk with a healthy diet, researchers believe.
The theory has been successfully tested on a group of mice that had a genetic mutation that put them at increased risk of prostate cancer.
But those who were fed a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids – the ‘good’ fats found in fish, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils - had slower tumour growth and lived longer than those fed the omega-6 fatty acids, or the ‘bad’ fats.
The researchers also think they know why the diet is so beneficial. Omega-3, or ‘good’ fat, contains a protein known as ‘Bad’, which kills off cancer cells.
Got that? Let’s hope it works in humans, too.
(Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2007; published online: June 21).
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