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SELECT: Omega-3 fatty acids increased prostate cancer risk
Results from a large prospective study indicate that long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly docosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, are associated with a significantly increased risk for prostate cancer.
“Given the widespread use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements, an ongoing clinical trial testing omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for cancer and CVD prevention, and the purported health benefits of consuming fatty fish, it is important to further investigate whether high consumption of omega-3 fatty acids could contribute to prostate cancer risk,” Theodore M. Brasky, PhD, of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues wrote.
The researchers conducted a case-cohort study examining the risk among men (n=1,393) enrolled in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). Of the patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (n=834), 156 had high-grade cancer.
Theodore M. Brasky
According to data, men in the highest quartile of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids had increased risks for low-grade (HR=1.44; 95% CI, 1.08-1.93), high-grade (HR=1.71; 95% CI, 1.00-2.94) and total prostate cancer (HR=1.43; 95% CI, 1.09-1.88) compared with men in the lowest quartiles. Similar associations were found for individual long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, researchers wrote.
Greater amounts of linoleic acid (omega-6) were associated with a reduced risk for low-grade cancer (HR=0.75; 95% CI, 0.56-0.99) and total prostate cancer (HR=0.77; 95% CI, 0.59-1.01), the researchers wrote. No dose response was identified.
“In this large, prospective trial, high plasma phospholipid concentrations of long-chain omega-3 [polyunsaturated fatty acids] were associated with statistically significant increases in prostate cancer risk. These associations were similar for low- and high-grade disease and for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), which are anti-inflammatory, metabolically interrelated omega-3 fatty acids derived from oily fish and fish oil supplements,” researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.