SAN FRANCISCO—A new study published in Clinical Cancer Research journal found dietary long-chain (LC) omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids appear protective for aggressive prostate cancer and may impact prostate inflammation and carcinogenesis through the COX-2 enzymatic pathway (2009; DOI:10.1158/1078-0432).
The case-control study used 466 men diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and 478 age- and ethnicity-matched controls. Researchers found increasing intake of LC omega-3s was strongly associated with a decreased risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The odds ratio for prostate cancer comparing the highest with the lowest quartile of omega-3 intake was of 0.37. The LC omega-3 association was modified by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) rs4648310 (+8897 A/G), flanking the 3' region of COX-2. In particular, the inverse association was even stronger among men with this variant SNP. This reflected the observation that men with low LC omega-3 intake and the variant rs4648310 SNP had an increased risk of disease, which was reversed by increasing intake of LC omega-3.
“This study adds to the growing research that shows that regular omega-3 EPA/DHA consumption by men may lower their risk of developing prostate cancer,” said Lori Covert, vice president of marketing and communications at Ocean Nutrition Canada, a global supplier of omega-3s. “This is definitely positive news.”