Polyunsaturated fatty acid interactions and breast cancer incidence: a population-based case-control study on Long Island, New York

Experimental studies demonstrate that ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) inhibit inflammatory eicosanoids generated by ω-6 PUFAs. Epidemiologic studies on dietary ω-3 PUFA intake show consistent inverse associations with breast cancer incidence among Asian populations, where ω-3, relative to ω-6, intake is high. In contrast, associations are inconsistent among Western populations, where intake of ω-3, relative to ω-6, intake is low. We hypothesized that examining interactions between ω-3 and ω-6 would help elucidate the PUFA-breast cancer association in the U.S