The findings of a new study revealed that antioxidants are capable of protecting cells from omega 6 as well as promoting its damage.
Omega 6 fatty acids are present in many cooking oils and are known to promote cancer, at least that's what a previous animal study revealed. Researchers of a new study wanted to find out if antioxidants were capable of stopping their negative effect, considering they are known to prevent DNA damage. Georgetown University Medical Center researchers were surprised with what they found.
According to a news release, the researchers found that antioxidants are capable of protecting cells from omega 6 as well as promoting its damage. Researchers found that the antioxidants in vitamin E actually promote the damages done by omega 6 by contributing to the formation of an "adduct," a structure that links a chemical to DNA and which may cause mutations.
Additionally, the antioxidant green tea polyphenol reduces formation of another commonly found "adduct" from omega-6 fatty acid -- suggesting it may have beneficial health effects.
On studying another antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid (found in spinach and broccoli and known to prevent cancer), researchers found it had no effects on the formation of any adducts.
Researchers then went on to examine why omega 6 promotes cancer while omega 3 prevents it. Researchers analysed formation of DNA-damaging adducts in liver cells treated with omega 6. They found adducts. The better known adduct is called ϒ-OHPdG and the second one is known as DHHedA.
Researchers then tested all the antioxidants in the study on rats that were engineered to develop liver cancer. They found that while vitamin E promoted the formation of ϒ-OHPdG, green tea polyphenol reduced the formation of DHHedA.
"This study revealed that DHHedA is a novel type of DNA damage, found in the tissues of rodents and humans, that is caused by omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acid," said the study's lead author, Fung-Lung Chung in a statement.
"Our findings are beginning to shed light on why omega 6 fatty acids are believed to have negative health effects," Chung said, "but we have a long way to go before we can make definitive health claims on these antioxidants."
Not all antioxidants are created equal," he added. "They all have different properties, and they play different roles in various tissues. What we find in liver cancer may not hold true for other cancers."
The study, funded by the by the National Cancer Institute, will be presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015.
