Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) decreases blood vessel formation - slowing tumor growth - according to the results of a Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) study presented at the third Era of Hope meeting for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, in Orlando, FL.
In the abstract, "Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Modulation of Mammary Stromal Differentiation Contributes to its Chemopreventive Activity in Mammary Carcinogenesis," a team of researchers led by Margot Ip, PhD, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, RPCI, reports that CLA, a fatty acid found in meat and dairy products, appears to be a non-toxic approach to prevent breast cancer development in animal models.
"This study identified and characterized a population of stem cell-like stromal cells in the breast, that have the ability to become vascular cells. A series of in vitro experiments demonstrated that CLA strongly encouraged these cells to develop in a different way," said Dr. Ip. "This suggests the possibility that dietary CLA might impede angiogenesis (the formation of blood vessels). By slowing blood vessel formation, tumor growth is reduced by minimizing the flow of nutrients to the tumor."
In follow-up studies, angiogenesis was found to be decreased by 80% in animals fed low levels of CLA for seven weeks. This appeared to be at least partly due to the ability of dietary CLA to decrease levels of an important growth factor - vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) - for the cells that line the blood vessels.
"These studies suggest a role for CLA as a component of natural enrichment of foods to prevent or delay the onset of breast cancer," said Dr. Ip. "CLA may prove especially beneficial for women who are at high-risk for breast cancer."
Future studies will focus on understanding the type of CLA which works best and the mechanism by which it exerts its effectiveness in preventing tumor formation.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation's first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Western New York
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