Positive Health Online

Abstract

GOODSTINE and colleagues, Yale University School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, USA, have found a possible relationship between the ratio of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in the diet and the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women.

Background

Background: Recent research has suggested that an increased n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and/or and increased (n-3)/(n-6) ratio is associated with a lower breast cancer risk. This case-control study investigates the association between intake of n-3 and other fatty acids, and the (n-3)/(n-6) ratio and breast cancer risk.

Methodology

Methods: Information from two related case-control studies in Connecticut was combined. Information was available on a total of 565 women with breast cancer and 554 controls. The controls were a combination of hospital-based and population-based. Information on dietary intake was elicited with a standard food frequency questionnaire.

Results

Results: In the full study population there were no significant trends for any macronutrient or fatty acid when the highest and lowest quartile of intake were compared. However when analysis was restricted to premenopausal women, the highest compared to the lowest quartile of the (n-3)/(n-6) ratio was associated with a nonsignificant lower risk for breast cancer. This lower risk became significant when the study was restricted to the population-based controls.

Conclusion

Conclusions: The results are consistent with the hypothesis that a higher (n-3)/(n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio in diet may reduce the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal but not necessarily in postmenopausal women.

References

Goodstine SL, Zheng T, Holford TR, Ward BA, Carter D, Owens PH, Mayne ST. Dietary (n-3)/(n-6) fatty acid ratio: possible relationship to premenopausal but not postmenopausal breast cancer risk in US women. The Journal of Nutrition 133 (5): 1409-1414, May 2003.