Omega-3 and -6 Fatty Acid Intake and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Swedish Women’s Lifestyle and Health Cohort

PURPOSE: We aimed to assess the association between the dietary intake of fish-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the risk of colorectal cancer among Swedish women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 48,233 women with information on dietary intake were included in the analysis. Participants were followed for incident colorectal cancer until 31 December 2012. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between baseline fatty acid intake and colorectal cancer risk. All analyses were stratified by colon and rectal cancers. RESULTS: During a median of 21.3 years of follow-up, a total of 344 colorectal cancer cases were ascertained. Although there was no overall association between omega-3 fatty acid intake and colorectal cancer risk, high intake of fish-derived docosahexaenoic acid was associated with reduced risk of rectal cancer (hazard ratios for the third and the highest quartiles were 0.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37 to 0.96) and 0.62 (95% CI, 0.39 to 0.98), respectively). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we found only limited support for an association between omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and colorectal cancer in a large Swedish cohort of middle-aged women.