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Jeremy Moore
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PHILADELPHIA (March 24, 2009) – Omega-3 fatty acids appear protective against
advanced prostate cancer, and this effect may be modified by a genetic
variant in the COX-2 gene, according to a report in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Previous
research has shown protection against prostate cancer, but this is one
of the first studies to show protection against advanced prostate
cancer and interaction with COX-2," said John S. Witte, Ph.D.,
professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of
California San Francisco.
For the current study, researchers
performed a case-control analysis of 466 men diagnosed with aggressive
prostate cancer and 478 healthy men. Diet was assessed by a food
frequency questionnaire and researchers genotyped nine COX-2 single
nucleotide polymorphisms.
Researchers divided omega-3 fatty
acid intake into four groups based on quartiles of intake. Men who
consumed the highest amount of long chain omega-3 fatty acids had a 63
percent reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer compared to men with
the lowest amount of long chain omega-3 fatty acids.
The
researchers then assessed the effect of omega-3 fatty acid among men
with the variant rs4647310 in COX-2, a known inflammatory gene. Men
with low long chain omega-3 fatty acid intake and this variant had a
more than five-fold increased risk of advanced prostate cancer. But men
with high intake of omega-3 fatty acids had a substantially reduced
risk, even if they carried the COX-2 variant.
"The COX-2
increased risk of disease was essentially reversed by increasing
omega-3 fatty acid intake by a half a gram per day," said Witte. "If
you want to think of the overall inverse association in terms of fish,
where omega-3 fatty acids are commonly derived, the strongest effect
was seen from eating dark fish such as salmon one or more times per
week."
Source: American Association for Cancer Research
Original article: Vincent Fradet, Iona Cheng, Graham Casey and John S. Witte (2009). Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Cyclooxygenase-2 Genetic Variation, and Aggressive Prostate Cancer Risk. Clinical Cancer Research. Published online March 24, 2009.
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