Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA): A Dietary Supplement With Promising Anticancer Potential

Abstract Despite advancements in cancer treatment, overwhelming new cancer diagnosesand cancer deaths occur each year. Moreover, many cancers are far from being eradicated due to the limited success of conventional therapies. Therefore, along with a required improvement in understanding disease progression, there is a great need of exploring alternative therapies that could work in conjunction with available therapies, enhance their efficacy, kill cancer cells, and keep normal cells healthy. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, has shown similar qualities to other fatty acids. Several recent investigations of cancer cells suggest that DHA improves chemotherapy outcomes, induces apoptosis, restricts proliferation and migration of cancer cells. Limited information supports its establishment as an anticancer alternative option along with available anticancer therapies. This chapter aims to provide literature about critical in vitro, in vivo, and clinical investigations supporting DHA's anticancer potential as an alternative therapy.