Public Release: 24-Feb-2016
Penn State
Omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal obese women, according to researchers.
The protection likely comes from the fatty acids’ anti-inflammatory effects, said Andrea Manni, professor and division chief of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, Penn State College of Medicine.
Obesity is a major breast cancer risk factor in postmenopausal women, and scientists believe increased inflammation is an important underlying cause in this population.
“Omega-3 fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect, so that’s one of the reasons why we suspected it may be particularly effective in obese women,” Manni said.
Some epidemiological data supports the idea that omega-3s protect against breast cancer, but the findings have been inconsistent. Manni suspected that data from normal-weight women obscurred the results.
Normal-weight women have less inflammation than heavier women, and are therefore less likely to benefit from anti-inflammatory omega-3s, he said.
To tease apart…
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Oil-Change Diet 
You don’t really have to be obese to get the benefits–what really “obscures” the benefits of normal weight women is the fact that more of them are probably closer to having a balance in their omega-6;3 ratio. Omega-6 causes the inflammation–omega-3 prevents it.