Omega-3s Plus Green Tea Compound May Help Counter Obesity-Linked Colon Cancer Stem Cell Changes

This laboratory study looked at how obesity-related changes in the gut environment might affect colorectal cancer stem cells — the cells thought to drive tumor growth. Researchers compared tumor and normal tissue from obese and non-obese colorectal cancer patients and found a shift in stem cell markers, with obese patients showing higher levels of a marker called CD44 and lower levels of another marker, CD133.

To study this further, the team grew mini gut tissue models (organoids) from normal tissue of non-obese patients and exposed them to a lab-made mixture designed to mimic the hormone and fat signals seen in obesity. This exposure triggered the same CD44-high stem-cell pattern seen in obese patients’ tumors, along with changes in three cell-signaling pathways (Notch1, Wnt/β-catenin, and PI3K/mTOR) known to influence cancer stem cell behavior.

When the organoids were treated with a combination of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) and EGCG (a compound found in green tea), some of these obesity-related changes were modified. Depending on how the combination was added, it reduced certain stem cell and Wnt pathway markers and brought an mTOR pathway marker back toward normal levels, though effects varied by marker and were not uniformly protective across all pathways.