Title
Adipose tissue omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content and breast cancer in the euramic study
Author
Simonsen, N.
van 't Veer, P.
Strain, J.J.
Martin-Moreno, J.M.
Huttunen, J.K.
Navajas, J.F.-C.
Martin, B.C.
Thamm, M.
Kardinaal, A.F.M.
Kok, F.J.
Kohlmeier, L.
Centraal Instituut voor Voedingsonderzoek TNO
Publication year
1998
Abstract
The fatty acid content of adipose tissue in postmenopausal breast cancer cases and controls from five European countries in the European Community Multicenter Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Cancer (EURAMIC) breast cancer study (1991-1992) was used to explore the hypothesis that fatty acids of the omega-3 family inhibit breast cancer and that the degree of inhibition depends on background levels of omega-6 polyunsaturates. Considered in isolation, the level of omega-3 or omega-6 fat in adipose tissue displayed little consistent association with breast cancer across study centers. The ratio of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids to total omega-6 fat showed an inverse association with breast cancer in four of five centers. In Malaga, Spain, the odds ratio for the highest tertile relative to the lowest reached 0.32 (95% confidence interval 0.13-0.82). In this center, total omega-6 fatty acid was strongly associated with breast cancer. With all centers pooled, the odds ratio for long-chain omega-3 to total omega-6 reached 0.80 for the second tertile and 0.65 for the third tertile, a downward trend bordering on statistical significance (p for trend = 0.055). While not definitive, these results provide evidence for the hypothesis that the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fat may play a role in breast cancer.
Subject
Nutrition
Adipose tissue
Breast neoplasms
Fatty acids
Omega-3
Long chain fatty acid
Omega 3 fatty acid
Omega 6 fatty acid
Polyunsaturated fatty acid
Adult
Aged
Breast cancer
Breast carcinogenesis
Case control study
Controlled study
Disease association
Europe
Female
Human
Human tissue
Major clinical study
Postmenopause
Breast Neoplasms
Case-Control Studies
Dietary Fats, Unsaturated
Fatty Acids, Omega-3
Fatty Acids, Omega-6
Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
Female
Humans
Incidence
Logistic Models
Middle Aged
Postmenopause
Risk Factors
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TNO identifier
234373
ISSN
0002-9262
Source
American Journal of Epidemiology, 147 (4), 342-52
Document type
article