Fish oil and tocopherol-induced changes in natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity and PGE2 synthesis in young and old mice.
Meydani SN, Yogeeswaran G, Liu S, Baskar S, Meydani M.
J Nutr. 1988 Oct;118(10):1245-52.
PMID: 3183771
"(NaturalNews) New research published in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) has found that the "Western" diet, typically high in sugar and fat, may be responsible for activating genes that signal the body to become fatter. According to scientists, the body's response to high amounts of energy-dense food is to activate the kappa opioid receptor which triggers increased fat storage.
Researchers arrived at this conclusion by conducting an experiment on two groups of mice. One group had its kappa opioid receptors genetically deactivated while the other remained intact. Both groups were fed diets high in fat and sugar for 16 weeks. At the end of 16 weeks, the group with the deactivated receptor remained lean while the control group gained significant weight.
Besides limiting their bodies' ability to store energy-dense food in their fat stores, the mice whose receptors had been deactivated were noted to also have a limited ability to assimilate and store nutrients from the foods they ingested.
Traci Ann Czyzyk-Morgan, one of the study's researchers, indicated that the findings prove the hypothesis long held by many in the scientific community that the kappa opioid receptor may be responsible for causing widespread obesity in Western countries. She and others continue to encourage people to avoid diets high in fat and sugar.
"
Fish oil-fed mice have impaired resistance to influenza infection.
Schwerbrock NM, Karlsson EA, Shi Q, Sheridan PA, Beck MA.
J Nutr. 2009 Aug;139(8):1588-94. Epub 2009 Jun 23.
PMID: 19549756
doi:10.3945/jn.109.108027
These results suggest that the antiinflammatory properties of fish oil feeding can alter the immune response to influenza infection, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality.
Yukihisa TANAKA, Takashi OHKUBO, Nobuo FUKUDA and Hidehiko HIBINO, "Effect of Molecular Forms on Distribution of Docosahexaenoic Acid into Organs in Mice", J. Oleo Sci., Vol. 52, 89-97 (2003) .
DURHAM, N.C. -- Restricting carbohydrates, regardless of weight loss, appears to slow the growth of prostate tumors, according to an animal study being published this week by researchers in the Duke Prostate Center.
"Previous work here and elsewhere has shown that a diet light in carbohydrates could slow tumor growth, but the animals in those studies also lost weight, and because we know that weight loss can restrict the amount of energy feeding tumors, we weren't able to tell just how big an impact the pure carbohydrate restriction was having, until now," said Stephen Freedland, M.D., a urologist in the Duke Prostate Center and lead investigator on this study.
The researchers believe that insulin and insulin-like growth factor contribute to the growth and proliferation of prostate cancer, and that a diet devoid of carbohydrates lowers serum insulin levels in the bodies of the mice, thereby slowing tumor growth, Freedland said.
Melanoma growth is reduced in fat-1 transgenic mice: impact of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Xia S, Lu Y, Wang J, He C, Hong S, Serhan CN, Kang JX.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Aug 15;103(33):12499-504. Epub 2006 Aug 3.
PMID: 16888035
doi: 10.1073/pnas.0605394103
In vitro experiments showed that addition of the n-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid or PGE(3) inhibited the growth of B16 cell line and increased the expression of PTEN, which could be partially attenuated by inhibition of PGE(3) production, suggesting that PGE(3) may act as an antitumor mediator. These data demonstrate an anticancer (antimelanoma) effect of n-3 fatty acids through, at least in part, activation of PTEN pathway mediated by PGE(3).
White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) exhibits antiproliferative and proapoptotic properties and inhibits prostate tumor growth in athymic mice. Adams LS, Phung S, Wu X, Ki L, Chen S.
Nutr Cancer. 2008;60(6):744-56. n
PMID: 19005974
Mice fed fish oil and curcumin showed a significantly reduced tumor volume, 25% (P < 0.04) and 43% (P < 0.005), respectively, and importantly, a combination of curcumin and fish oil diet showed > 72% (P < 0.0001) tumor volume reduction. Expression and activity of iNOS, COX-2, and 5-LOX are downregulated, and p21 is upregulated in tumor xenograft fed curcumin combined with fish oil diet when compared to individual diets. The preceding results evidence for the first time that curcumin combined with omega-3 fatty acids provide synergistic pancreatic tumor inhibitory properties.
Prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer by curcumin in combination with omega-3 fatty acids.
Swamy MV, Citineni B, Patlolla JM, Mohammed A, Zhang Y, Rao CV.
Nutr Cancer. 2008;60 Suppl 1:81-9.
PMID: 19003584
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A diet high in a form of sugar found in sweetened soft drinks and junk food raises blood pressure among men, according to research likely to mean more bad news for beverage companies and restaurant chains.
One of two studies released on Wednesday provided the first evidence that fructose helps raise blood pressure. It also found that the drug allopurinol, used to treat gout, can alleviate the effect by reducing uric acid levels in the body.
The second study, which measured fructose intake in mice, suggested that people who consume junk foods and sweetened soft drinks at night could gain weight faster than those who don't.
Synbiotic effect of Lactobacillus helveticus M92 and prebiotics on the intestinal microflora and immune system of mice.
Frece J, Kos B, Svetec IK, Zgaga Z, Beganović J, Lebos A, Susković J.
J Dairy Res. 2009 Feb;76(1):98-104. Epub 2009 Jan 5.
PMID: 19121230
doi:10.1017/S0022029908003737
Oral administration of active hexose correlated compound enhances host resistance to West Nile encephalitis in mice.
Wang S, Welte T, Fang H, Chang GJ, Born WK, O'Brien RL, Sun B, Fujii H, Kosuna K, Wang T.
J Nutr. 2009 Mar;139(3):598-602. Epub 2009 Jan 13.
PMID: 19141700
doi:10.3945/jn.108.100297
"Results indicated that mice on diets supplemented with flaxseed meal and flaxseed oil had, on average, 45 percent fewer tumors in the small intestine and the colon compared to the control group."
The scientists published their research findings in February in the academic peer-reviewed international journal Nutrition and Cancer.