Hi Kath,

I'd like to leave the basic results of this article,
how I understood them.

Eating long chain w-3 Fa (EPA,DHA, say fish oil, what else)
resulted in better positive indicators:

".. increased natural killer cell
cytotoxicity, splenocyte nitric oxide and interleukin-2 production,
and the proportion of activated (CD25^+) CD8^+ and CD28^+ cells,"

provided that not too much PUFAs were in the diet.
The high PUFA not only didn't help, but discarded the positive EPA/DHA
effect.

But, alas:
>.. but did not significantly inhibit tumor growth.

EPA and DHA boosted the imune system, but didn't affect tumor growth.


Alas in this study it was not mentioned which schort chain PUFAs were used.
I mean was it LA or ALA or how was th w-3 to w-6 ratio.

Presumably it was a high w-6 diet because this is the easy way to achieve
a high PUFA part or a high P/S ratio.
(this is how many humans try it - just add some safflor to the diet).

Doing this, the prostaglandin reaction could be worse than before.
No (good) series 3 PG and very much w-6 pathway (AA pathway) material
(which can result in good or bad PGs).
We used to assume that it's the EPA which steers the PG's of the w-6
pathway to the good side.
Obviously it didn't work out with direct eaten EPA, in this case.
Thus the often cited benefit from high w-3 EFAs or good w-3 to w-6 ratios
should come from a different effect.
I'd suggest the following explanations:
-ALA incorporated in cell walls is beneficial compared to LA in cell walls.
  (that would mean keep on eating flax oil)
-The presence of much ALA (flax..) compared to LA competes for d5d in the
body. That's good. D5d makes bad AA from LA (safflor) or good EPA from ALA.
So, this competition should show up as very beneficial.
 (that would mean keep on eating flax oil)

Essence of the study it would mean:
- eat fish oil to boost your imune system
- eat not too much PUFA  (or maybe only LA, that wasn't specified)

regards

Amadeus S.

>please let me know if I can copy your response to the breast

Of course and I'd be interested in further comments