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Research: HALL and co-workers,
Listed in Issue 149
Abstract
HALL and co-workers, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA, have associated levels of essential fatty acids with the risk of colorectal cancer.
Background
N-3 fatty acids may decrease risk of colorectal cancer by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme and thus the production of proinflammatory eicosanoids derived from arachidonic acid. Aspirin also inhibits the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme and may share with n-3 fatty acids a potential mechanism to decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to clarify these questions.
Methodology
A nested case-control analysis was conducted using blood samples collected from the Physicians' Health Study participants in 1982 to 1984. N-3 and n-6 fatty acid levels were measured for 178 men who developed colorectal cancer and 282 age- and smoking-matched controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine associations. All statistical tests were two-sided.
Results
Total long-chain n-3 fatty acids were nonsignificantly inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk [relative risk for highest versus lowest quartile, 0.60; p(trend) = 0.10], after adjustment for possible confounders. A potential interaction was observed between randomized aspirin assignment and long-chain n-3 fatty acid levels (p(interaction) = 0.04). Among men not on aspirin, relative risks for increasing quartiles of long-chain n-3 fatty acids were 1.00, 0.60, 0.51, and 0.34, p(trend) = 0.006. For participants taking aspirin, there was no additional benefit of increasing n-3 fatty acid levels. The relative risk for the highest versus lowest quartile of n-6 fatty acids was 0.64.
Conclusion
Blood levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids were associated with decreased risk of colorectal cancer among men not using aspirin. N-6 fatty acids were nonsignificantly inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk.
References
Hall MN, Campos H, Li H, Sesso HD, Stampfer M, Willett WC, Ma J. Blood levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, aspirin, and the risk of colorectal cancer. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 16 (2): 314-321, Feb 2007.
