Funding outcome

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in Canadian women - 1 in 9 Canadian women will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Despite ongoing advances in screening, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; breast cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer-related death. Animal studies and laboratory studies using human breast tumours suggest that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, found mostly in fish, can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. Unfortunately, the studies on human populations have only been able to use approximate estimates of dietary intake to try and confirm this relationship. Measuring blood levels of the different omega-3 fatty acids is a more precise way to determine intake and status. We propose to look at participants from Alberta's Tomorrow Project, a province-wide study which included more than 55,000 volunteers who provided information about their lifestyle habits and health; 30,000 of these participants also gave a blood sample. Using a sample of 1300 women (one third who were diagnosed with breast cancer) we propose to measure blood omega-3 fatty acid levels and determine if there is an association with breast cancer risk. To do this, we will account for other risk factors for breast cancer, such as family history and exercise, to tease out the specific risk that might be associated with a low status of omega-3 fatty acids. This work will provide evidence as to whether omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of breast cancer, and will provide some reference levels for counselling women on how to reduce their risk.