Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Dietary fatty acids, especially n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), are believed to play a role in reducing BC risk. Evidence has shown that fish consumption or intake of long-chain n-3 PUFA, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are beneficial for inhibiting mammary carcinogenesis. The evidence regarding α-linolenic acid (ALA), however, remains equivocal. It is essential to clarify the relation between ALA and cancer since ALA is the principal source of n-3 PUFA in the Western diet and the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is not efficient in humans. In addition, the specific anticancer roles of individual n-3 PUFA, alone, have not yet been identified. Therefore, the present review evaluates ALA, EPA and DHA consumed individually as well as in n-3 PUFA mixtures. Also, their role in the prevention of BC and potential anticancer mechanisms of action are examined. Overall, this review suggests that each n-3 PUFA has promising anticancer effects and warrants further research.
Highlights
Breast cancer (BC) is a major health problem among women worldwide, and is the second leading cause of death for women in Canada and the United States [1,2]
Relative to the lowest quartile of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intake, individuals in the top three quartiles exhibited a 26% reduction in BC risk
Some studies had difficulties in characterizing the role of ALA in estrogen dependent and independent BC cell lines [122,124]. This suggests a variable effect of ALA on cell proliferation depending on the cell line assessed. These findings suggest that diets rich in ALA can inhibit mammary tumor development in animals and in vitro, it cannot be ruled out that some of the effects are due in part to conversion of ALA to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), albeit limited
Summary
Breast cancer (BC) is a major health problem among women worldwide, and is the second leading cause of death for women in Canada and the United States [1,2]. Nutrients 2014, 6 be diagnosed with BC per day, with 1 in 9 females expected to develop BC in their lifetime [1,2]. Both genetic and environmental factors are believed to play a role in a woman’s risk of developing. Most anticancer drugs, developed to date, aim to kill cancer cells and decrease tumor burden but are relatively ineffective against some phases of tumorigenesis [5,6]. Alternate strategies to prevent tumorigenesis are urgently required. In the past few decades, epidemiological studies have suggested that a healthy diet and lifestyle are critical for the prevention of BC. Dietary fatty acids are one of the most intensively studied dietary factors [7,8,9]
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