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Intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and risk of ovarian cancer

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Abstract

Objectives

Limited experimental evidence suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated (n-3) fatty acids inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells in vitro, whereas omega-6 polyunsaturated (n-6) fatty acids have been shown to promote carcinogenesis, but epidemiological studies to date have been inconclusive. Our aim was to evaluate the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids in ovarian carcinogenesis.

Methods

Participants in the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (1,366 cases and 1,414 population controls) self-completed risk factor and food frequency questionnaires. Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI).

Results

We found no association between intake of total n-3 fatty acids from foods, or the individual n-3 fatty acids—alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic acids—and ovarian cancer risk. High intake of total n-6 fatty acids was inversely associated with risk (OR for highest vs. lowest category 0.78, 95 % CI 0.60–1.00, p-trend 0.04); however, the association was restricted to n-6 fatty acids from avocado, vegetables, and nuts. Neither higher intake of the individual n-6 fatty acids nor the ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids was associated with ovarian cancer risk. We found no evidence that risk varied by supplement use.

Conclusions

Our data provide no evidence of a protective role for n-3 fatty acids in ovarian carcinogenesis. The benefit, if any, of higher intake of n-6 fatty acids is due to general properties of the food sources, rather than due to the n-6 fatty acids per se.

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Acknowledgments

Full membership of the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group is listed at http://www.aocstudy.org/; the Australian Cancer Study Investigators are A. Green, P. Parsons, N. Hayward, P. Webb, and D. Whiteman. We gratefully acknowledge the support and assistance of the Survey of Women’s Health study research group and the cooperation of the following institutions: New South Wales: John Hunter Hospital, North Shore Private Hospital, Royal Hospital for Women, Royal North Shore Hospital, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Westmead Hospital, and New South Wales Cancer Registry; Queensland: Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Townsville Hospital, Wesley Hospital, and Queensland Cancer Registry; South Australia: Flinders Medical Centre, Queen Elizabeth II, Royal Adelaide Hospital, and South Australian Cancer Registry; Tasmania: Royal Hobart Hospital; Victoria: Freemasons Hospital, Mercy Hospital For Women, Monash Medical Centre, Royal Women’s Hospital, and Victorian Cancer Registry; Western Australia: King Edward Memorial Hospital, St. John of God Hospitals Subiaco, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Western Australia Research Tissue Network (WARTN), and Western Australia Cancer Registry. We acknowledge Ms. Maria Celia Hughes from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research for preparation of the dietary data and Nirmala Pandeya of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research for her statistical advice, and we would like to thank all of the women who participated in the study. The Australian Ovarian Cancer Study was supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command [grant no DAMD17-01-1-0729], the Cancer Council Tasmania, and Cancer Foundation of Western Australia. The Australian Cancer Study was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia [grant no 199600]. The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia supports P.M Webb and C.M. Nagle.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetics and Population Health Division, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, 300 Herston Rd, Herston, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia

    T. I. Ibiebele, C. M. Nagle, C. J. Bain & P. M. Webb

  2. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    C. J. Bain

Authors
  1. T. I. Ibiebele
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  2. C. M. Nagle
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  3. C. J. Bain
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  4. P. M. Webb
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. M. Nagle.

Additional information

T. I. Ibiebele and C. M. Nagle are joint first authors.

This study was conducted for the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group.

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Ibiebele, T.I., Nagle, C.M., Bain, C.J. et al. Intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and risk of ovarian cancer. Cancer Causes Control 23, 1775–1783 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-0053-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-0053-4

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