Fatty acids found in fish linked to reduced risk of breast cancer

Fatty acids found in fish have been linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer, a new study has suggested.

A team of researchers in China discovered that a high intake of fatty acids found in fish is linked with a 14 per cent reduction in the risk of breast cancer in later life.

The results found that each 0.1g per day or 0.1 per cent of energy per day increment of intake was found to lead to a five per cent reduction in risk, but no notable protective link was discovered for the plant based n-3 PUFA.

The experts noted that n-3 PUFAs including ALA, EPA, DPA and DHA are involved in chemical messaging in the brain, which helps to monitor blood vessel activity and regions of the immune system.

Furthermore, they outlined how the primary dietary sources of EPA, DPA and DHA come from oily fish, whereas ALA is mainly found in nuts, seeds and leafy green vegetables.

As part of their study, the experts reviewed and assessed the results of 26 studies from the United States, Europe and Asia, taking into account more than 800,000 participants and more than 200,000 cases of breast cancer.

Marine n-3 PUFA was linked with a 14 per cent reduction of breast cancer between the highest and lowest category of marine n-3 PUFA intake. In Asian populations, the risk was at its lowest, with the authors suggesting this was because of the increased number of fish consumed in the continent.

“Our present study provides solid and robust evidence that marine n-3 PUFA are inversely associated with risk of breast cancer. The protective effect of fish or individual n-3 PUFA warrants further investigation of prospective studies,” the researchers explained.

The authors explained that the findings support a “protective role of marine n-3 PUFA on the incidence of breast cancer.

Posted by Fiona Griffiths