Abstract
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are considered immunonutrients and are commonly used in the nutritional therapy of cancer patients due to their ample biological effects. Omega-3 PUFAs play essential roles in cell signaling and in the cell structure and fluidity of membranes. They participate in the resolution of inflammation and have anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects. Additionally, they can act as agonists of G protein-coupled receptors, namely, GPR40/FFA1 and GPR120/FFA4. Cancer patients undergo complications, such as anorexia-cachexia syndrome, pain, depression, and paraneoplastic syndromes. Interestingly, the 2017 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guidelines for cancer patients only discuss the use of omega-3 PUFAs for cancer-cachexia treatment, leaving aside other cancer-related complications that could potentially be managed by omega-3 PUFA supplementation. This critical review aimed to discuss the effects and the possible underlying mechanisms of omega-3 PUFA supplementation in cancer-related complications. Data compilation in this critical review indicates that further investigation is still required to assess the factual benefits of omega-3 PUFA supplementation in cancer-associated illnesses. Nevertheless, preclinical evidence reveals that omega-3 PUFAs and their metabolites might modulate pivotal pathways underlying complications secondary to cancer, indicating that this is a promising field of knowledge to be explored.
Highlights
Bang and Dyerberg investigated the Greenland Eskimo diet in the 1970s in order to determine the reason for why this population had a low prevalence of cardiovascular diseases
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) supplementation improved body weight and lean body mass in cancer patients by modulating circulating inflammatory markers, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interferon- γ (IFN-γ), demonstrating an inhibitory effect on inflammatory parameters related to muscle atrophy and lipolysis [110]
It may be possible to presume that omega-3 supplementation could be beneficial—or, in any case, harmless—for cancer patients with paraneoplastic syndromes and that a higher daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids could prevent the evolution of future paraneoplastic alterations
Summary
Bang and Dyerberg investigated the Greenland Eskimo diet in the 1970s in order to determine the reason for why this population had a low prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. The leading cause of the low prevalence of cardiovascular diseases had been attributed to the high dietary contents of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids PUFAs) [3]. Pain in cancer survivors is important because any change in this condition can indicate a recurrence of the tumor [14,15,17] Another important cancer-associated complication is anorexia-cachexia syndrome, which affects up to 85% of cancer patients [18]. This condition is defined as a multifactorial syndrome with muscle atrophy, fat loss, and the progressive defeat of function, leading to a low quality of life, which cannot be reversed by conventional nutritional therapy [19]. PUFAs, the purpose of this critical review article is to discuss the possible mechanisms and effects of omega-3 PUFA supplementation in principal cancer-related disorders
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