A Prospective Study of Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Chinese Women (original) (raw)

2009, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

In animal models of colon cancer, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have antineoplastic properties, whereas n-6 PUFAs may promote carcinogenesis. Prior epidemiologic studies have been inconsistent regarding the association of PUFAs and colorectal cancer. We prospectively evaluated the association between PUFA intake and colorectal cancer in a cohort of 73,242 Chinese women who were interviewed in person at the baseline survey for the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Dietary fatty acid consumption was derived using data collected from two food frequency questionnaires administered at baseline and 2 to 3 years later. The dietary total n-6 to n-3 PUFA ratio was strongly associated with colorectal cancer risk. Compared with women in the lowest quintile group, elevated relative risks (RR) were observed for the second [RR, 1.52; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.00-2.32], third (RR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.41-3.45), fourth (RR, 1.65; 95% CI, 0.99-2.75), and fifth (RR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.07-3.5...