Two major cellular processes are associated with inflammatory bowel diseases and colon cancer:

• Activation of a cell transcription factor called NF-κB (which drives inflammation)

• Deficit of an anti-inflammatory chemical messenger called PPAR-y.

Interestingly, the omega-3 oil DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) corrects both of these problems.

DHA, which is found in fish oil pills and is naturally present in fish, also inhibits tumor invasion into surrounding tissues by inhibiting a special set of enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and inhibits the creation of new blood vessels.

One of the complications seen with chemotherapy drug treatments is the development of multidrug resistance (MDR), a condition in which cancer cells become completely resistant to the chemicals’ killing effect.

This occurs because certain cell mechanisms expel the drug from the cancer cell.

Studies have shown that DHA can reverse MDR and restore sensitivity to drugs’ cancer-killing effect.

Curcumin, quercetin, anthocyanadins, and hesperidin can also reverse MDR.