Topic: Nurture vs. Nature: Role of Dietary Fat in Cancer
Speaker: Prof. Yong Q. Chen
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity and type 2 diabetes are major diseases in the developed world, and dietary fat plays critical roles in all these illnesses. We will discuss the interaction between nurture (dietary fat) and nature (FADS1 and FADS2 genes) in cancer development. We hypothesize that FADS1 and FADS2 are thrifty genes that were historically advantageous, but became detrimental in the modern world. We will present evidence that omega-3 fatty acids reduced prostate tumor growth, slowed histopathological progression, and increased survival, whereas omega-6 fatty acids had opposite effects. The effect of these fatty acids on cancer is mediated, in part, by AKT and BAD.
Date: 10:00AM-11:00AM, June. 19th (Tuesday)
Venue: B323, Medical Science Building
