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Cancer Causes & Control
Published in: Cancer Causes & Control 9/2009

01-11-2009 | Original paper

Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissue and breast cancer risk: a case–cohort study from Denmark

Authors: Petra M. Witt, Jeppe H. Christensen, Erik B. Schmidt, Claus Dethlefsen, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad, Marianne Ewertz

Published in: Cancer Causes & Control | Issue 9/2009

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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the content of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in adipose tissue, a biomarker for the long-term intake of seafood, and the subsequent development of breast cancer (BC).

Design

We designed a case–cohort study based on a cohort of healthy Danish women, who in the 1990s donated adipose tissue biopsies to a biobank in order to investigate the role of diet for the development of cancer and chronic disease. During follow-up, incident cases of BC were identified through national registries, and the content of n-3 PUFA in adipose tissue was compared between cases and the cohort sample.

Results

During follow-up, 463 new cases of BC were identified. After adjusting for potential confounders, no significant association between the content of marine n-3 PUFA and BC was found. When comparing the highest with the lowest quintile, the hazard ratio (HR) was 0.96 (95% CI 0.64–1.43) for total marine n-3 PUFA, 0.84 (95% CI 0.58–1.23) for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and 1.08 (95% CI 0.73–1.58) for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Conclusion

This study does not indicate any association between the content of total or individual marine n-3 PUFA in adipose tissue and development of BC.
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Metadata
Title
Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissue and breast cancer risk: a case–cohort study from Denmark
Authors
Petra M. Witt
Jeppe H. Christensen
Erik B. Schmidt
Claus Dethlefsen
Anne Tjønneland
Kim Overvad
Marianne Ewertz
Publication date
01-11-2009
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Cancer Causes & Control / Issue 9/2009
Print ISSN: 0957-5243
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7225
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9423-y

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