Essential fatty acid consumption and risk of breast cancer.

Animal and ecological studies of essential fatty acids suggest that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils and omega-6 fatty acids found in vegetable oils may be playing a role in the etiology of breast cancer. Essential fatty acids may modulate breast cancer risk by interacting with prostaglandins, which have immunosuppressive and platelet aggregative capabilities. The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue reflects the dietary consumption of essential fatty acids over a period of years. Biochemical techniques have been used in epidemiological studies to accurately estimate fatty acid consumption. However, analytical epidemiology studies that have used biochemical measurements of adipose tissue fatty acid composition, have not supported a relationship between consumption of these essential fatty acids and breast cancer risk.