TIRANA, Albania – Research scientists at research hospitals in Albania have found that there is an association between high n-3 polyunsaturated fat intake, dietary fiber and colorectal cancers in Caucasians.
The increased risk of colorectal cancer may be driven by polyunsaturated fat sources other than fish, and may have a complex interaction with dietary fiber intake, they said.

The study is published in the July edition of the American Society for Nutrition.

Researchers compared consumption of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids and looked at their association with cancer risks. They then examined if these associations were impacted by dietary fiber intake.

The study was embedded in the Rotterdam Study, a prospective cohort study among patients 55 and older. The patient baseline diet was measured by using a food-frequency questionnaire, and colorectal cancer on the basis of pathology data and medical records was recorded.

After roughly 14.5 years 222 cases of colorectal cancer were reported. Whereas there was no association between total polyunsaturated fat, n–6 polyunsaturated fat, or saturated fatty acid intake and colorectal risk, the consumption of n–3 polyunsaturated fat was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancers.

A significant interaction between n–3 polyunsaturated fat and dietary fiber intakes was found. The conclusion of this interaction in participants with a dietary fiber intake less than the median had positive results. No association was observed in subjects with dietary fiber intake equal or higher than the median.

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2015/06/03/jn.114.208462.abstract