A new research work carried out by the Penn College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania (USA) has concluded that obese women can reduce the percentage of risk of breast cancer thanks to omega-3 fatty acids , present mainly in blue fish. The study has been published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
Researchers included 266 postmenopausal women with high breast density , divided into three groups: normal weight, overweight and obese. The goal was to measure the change in the breast density of the participants over 2 years (high breast density appears to be a risk factor for breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute, since women with large breasts have 4 to 6 times the risk of developing the disease).
The participants were randomized into five different treatment groups . Two groups received different doses of raloxifene (60 mg and 30 mg), one group received the prescription of omega-3 capsules (4 g) and one group received 30 mg of raloxifene combined with 4 g of omega-3. A control group received no treatment.
After 2 years, the researchers found an association between increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood and a reduction in breast density, but only among the 20% of the participants who were obese.
According to the hypothesis, the association would be motivated by the increased levels of inflammation associated with obesity that leads to breast cancer: “Omega-3 fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect, so that is one of the reasons for which I suspected that they could be particularly effective in obese women ”, explains Andrea Manni, leader of the study.
“ The finding supports the idea that omega-3 DHA, and specifically, are preferentially protective in obese postmenopausal women. This represents an example of a personalized approach to breast cancer prevention ” concludes Manni.
