Fighting Cancer? Add THIS to Your Menu
When you’re battling cancer, you want every advantage you can get.
But there could be a very simple place to turn the odds in your favor…
I’m talking about your dinner table.
Research is showing that a simple type of food may help kill multiple types of cancer cells.
It’s safe… it’s delicious… and I believe in it so much, it’s a regular part of my menu.
You know by now that I’m a big fan of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It’s an omega-3 fatty acid that is found in fish.
In fact, I incorporate plenty of fish into my diet each week specifically because of DHA. It helps fight inflammation and also makes our mitochondria – the energy centers of our cells – work better.
Now, it’s looking like DHA could have a role in preventing or treating cancer, too.
In a new study published in Cell Death Discovery, researchers exposed ovarian cancer cells to DHA in a lab setting.
DHA actually weakened the cells and forced them to die through a process known as pyroptosis.
Basically, DHA forced the cancer cells to burst open and die.
This isn’t the first study to show DHA has anti-cancer potential. Just the latest.
A previous mouse study out of the University of Nevada found that DHA helped keep colorectal cancer cells from spreading.
And a study out of Korea found that DHA may make cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy.
Now, just to be clear, I’m not saying DHA is a cure for cancer. Nobody is saying that.
But it definitely can have a place as an add-on to cancer treatment.
You’ll find plenty of omega-3 supplements on the market that can provide high levels of DHA. But my favorite way to get DHA is still through food.
Cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring are all excellent sources of DHA. If you’re on a tight budget (have you seen salmon prices these days?), sardines and anchovies pack plenty of DHA as well.
If you’re fighting cancer and go the supplement route, just remember to discuss any supplements you are taking with your doctor.
View Sources
Kato T, Kolenic N, Pardini RS. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a primary tumor suppressive omega-3 fatty acid, inhibits growth of colorectal cancer independent of p53 mutational status. Nutr Cancer. 2007;58(2):178-87. doi: 10.1080/01635580701328362. PMID: 17640164.
Song, E. A., & Kim, H. (2016). Docosahexaenoic Acid Induces Oxidative DNA Damage and Apoptosis, and Enhances the Chemosensitivity of Cancer Cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17(8), 1257. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17081257
Pasquarelli-do-Nascimento, G., Bezerra, S.P., Manchine, J.P. et al. The omega-3 DHA induces pyroptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in ovarian cancer cells via ROS and caspase-1 activation. Cell Death Discov. 12, 21 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41420-025-02854-6
