Effects of Nutritional Supplementation on Tumor Growth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies Using Animal Models of Mammary Cancer
Abstract
Simple Summary Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting women worldwide. To develop new treatments, researchers often use experimental tumor models before clinical studies. The Walker-256 tumor model is commonly used because it shares similarities with human carcinoma and grows quickly, allowing efficient testing. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we examined 21 studies and performed a detailed analysis of 12 of them to investigate whether dietary supplements could reduce tumor growth. We found that many supplements, particularly fish oil and shark liver oil, significantly reduced tumor growth. Other supplements, including amino acids and those rich in linoleic acid, also showed promising effects. We conclude that nutritional supplementation has the potential to reduce tumor growth in Walker-256 models.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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