Int J Cancer. 2007 Jul 15;121(2):377-85.Click here to read Links
Breast cancer risk and erythrocyte compositions of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids in Japanese.
Kuriki K, Hirose K, Wakai K, Matsuo K, Ito H, Suzuki T, Hiraki A, Saito T, Iwata H, Tatematsu M, Tajima K.
Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan.
kkuriki@aichi-cc.jp
"Dietary intake of fish rich in n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has been proposed to decrease cancer risk. In contrast to results from laboratory studies, however, protective effects for breast cancer have proved equivocal in epidemiological studies. In the present case-control study, we examined associations between breast cancer risk and fatty acid compositions in erythrocyte membranes as biomarkers for those intakes. Dietary information and blood samples were collected from 103 incident breast cancer cases and 309 non-cancer controls (matched by age and season) and erythrocyte fatty acids were measured ....
.In conclusion, we showed that erythrocyte compositions of specific fatty acids derived from fish intake, as biomarkers, are associated with lower risk of breast cancer, but further studies are needed to investigate mechanisms linked to the etiology.