(NaturalNews) Researchers from Lund University in Malmo, Sweden, have
discovered a connection between a higher intake of omega-6 fatty acids and
an increased risk of breast cancer, in a study published in the
International Journal of Cancer.
"[A diet] very high in omega-6 ... may promote breast cancer development,"
they wrote.
The researchers were investigating the connection between breast cancer,
omega-6s, and chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HAs), which form in
animal flesh that is cooked at high temperatures. Previous research has
implicated HAs as carcinogens, and rats consuming HAs as part of a diet that
is also high in omega-6s have been found to have an even higher or risk of
breast cancer than rats eating HAs alone.
In the current study, researchers evaluated the diets of 11,699 women over
the age of 49 who were taking part in the Malmo Diet and Cancer Study, then
followed those women for ten years. Contrary to expectations, women who
consumed the highest levels of HAs did not have a breast cancer risk
significantly different than women who consumed the lowest levels. Women who
had both a low HA consumption and a high intake of omega-6s, however, did
demonstrate a significantly elevated breast cancer risk.
"The interaction in the present study between omega-6 PUFAs and HAs is not
easily explained, and points toward the importance of examining the impact
of food patterns rather than the influence of single dietary factors," the
researchers wrote.
The researchers suggested that one explanation for the findings might come
from the fact that women with a high consumption of low-fiber bread products
also had elevated levels of blood fats and insulin, both of which are risk
factors for breast cancer. In the current analysis, low intake of HAs was
correlated with a higher intake of bread, cakes and cookies, suggesting that
some factor other than HA intake itself might have led to the increased
vulnerability to omega-6s.
Source : www.reuters.com.
