Associations of plasma omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids with overall and 19 site-specific cancers - A population-based cohort study in UK Biobank

Sep 21, 2026

Previous epidemiological studies on polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and cancer incidence have reported inconsistent findings. This population-based prospective cohort study examined plasma omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs and their associations with overall cancer incidence and 19 site-specific cancers in 253,138 UK Biobank participants. Over 12.9 years of follow-up, 29,838 participants developed cancer. Plasma omega-3% and omega-6% were analyzed as percentages of total fatty acids. In the main models, both omega-6% and omega-3% showed inverse associations with overall cancer incidence (HR per SD 0.98 and 0.99, respectively). Among 19 cancers, 14 were inversely associated with omega-6% and five with omega-3%, with prostate cancer as an exception where omega-3% was positively associated (HR per SD 1.03).

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and rationale

Study design and population

Main findings (overall and site-specific cancers)

Exceptions and interpretation

Funding and publication notes

Introduction

Global cancer burden and PUFAs

Biological plausibility and proposed mechanisms

Summary of prior evidence and uncertainties

DOI: 10.1002/ijc.35226 RES EARCH A RTICLE Ca ncer Epidemiology Associations of plasma omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids with overall and 19 site-specific cancers: A population-based cohort study in UK Biobank Yuchen Zhang 1 | Yitang Sun 2 | Suhang Song 3 | Nikhil K. Khankari 4,5 | J. Thomas Brenna 6,7,8,9 | Ye Shen 1 | Kaixiong Ye 2,10 1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA 2Department of Genetics, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA 3Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA 4Division of Genetic Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA 5Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA 6Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA 7Department of Pediatrics, Dell Pediatric Research Institute, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA 8Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA 9Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA 10Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA Correspondence Kaixiong Ye, Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, C220 Davison Life Sciences Complex, 120 East Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA. Email: [kaixiong.ye@uga.edu](kaixiong.ye@uga.edu) Ye Shen, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Georgia, 101 Buck Rd, Athens, GA 30602, USA. [Email:](Email: yeshen@uga.edu)[ yeshen@uga.edu](Email: yeshen@uga.edu) Funding information National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Grant/Award Number: R35GM143060 Abstract Previous epidemiological studies on the associations between polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and cancer incidence have been inconsistent. We investigated the associations of plasma omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs with the incidence of overall and 19 site-specific cancers in a large prospective cohort. 253,138 eligible UK Biobank participants were included in our study. With a mean follow-up of 12.9 years, 29,838 participants were diagnosed with cancer. The plasma levels of omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs were expressed as percentages of total fatty acids (omega-3% and omega-6%) . In our main models, both omega-6% and omega-3% were inversely associated with overall cancer incidence (HR per SD = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.96–0.99; HR per SD = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.97–1.00; respectively) . Of the 19 site-specific cancers available, 14 were associated with omega-6% and five with omega-3%, all indicating inverse associations, with the exception that prostate cancer was positively associated with omega-3%(HR per SD = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01–1.05) . Our population-based cohort study in UK Biobank indicates small inverse associations of plasma omega-6 and omega-3 PUFAs with the incidence of overall and most site-specific cancers, although there are notable exceptions, such as prostate cancer. Ye Shen and Kaixiong Ye jointly supervised this project. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. © 2024 The Author(s) . International Journal of Cancer published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of UICC. KEYWOR DS cancer incidence, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, prospective cohort study What's New? Polyunsaturated fatty acids have been postulated to influence cancer incidence and survival, but epidemiological evidence remains inconclusive. This study leverages the extensive data from the UK Biobank to provide a robust analysis of the

FAQs

What was the main goal of this UK Biobank cohort study?

To evaluate whether plasma omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are associated with overall cancer incidence and 19 site-specific cancers.

How were omega-3 and omega-6 exposures measured in the study?

Plasma omega-3% and omega-6% were expressed as percentages of total fatty acids.

What associations were observed between omega-3%/omega-6% and overall cancer risk?

Both omega-6% and omega-3% were inversely associated with overall cancer incidence in the main models.

Were all site-specific cancers associated in the same direction?

No. Most analyzed cancers showed inverse associations, but prostate cancer had a positive association with omega-3%.

Sep 21, 2026

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