title: Fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids and risk of prostate cancer in a case-control analysis nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plausible biological mechanisms underlie possible associations between fatty acids in blood and risk of prostate cancer; epidemiologic evidence for an association, however, is inconsistent.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objectives were to assess the association between plasma phospholipid fatty acids and risk of total prostate cancer by stage and grade.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a nested case-control analysis of 962 men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer after a median follow-up time of 4.2 y and 1061 matched controls who were taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. The fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids was measured by gas chromatography, and the risk of prostate cancer was estimated by using conditional logistic regression with adjustment for lifestyle variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a positive association between palmitic acid and risk of total, localized, and low-grade prostate cancer. The risk of prostate cancer for men in the highest quintile compared with the lowest quintile of palmitic acid was 1.47 (95% CI: 0.97, 2.23; P for trend = 0.032). We found an inverse association between stearic acid and the risk of total, localized, and low-grade prostate cancer; men in the highest quintile of stearic acid had a relative risk of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.56, 1.06; P for trend = 0.03). There were significant positive associations between myristic, alpha-linolenic, and eicosapentaenoic acids and risk of high-grade prostate cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The associations between palmitic, stearic, myristic, alpha-linolenic, and eicosapentaenoic acids and prostate cancer risk may reflect differences in intake or metabolism of these fatty acids between the precancer cases and controls and should be explored further.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. francesca.crowe@ceu.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Francesca L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Crowe
authors.forename: Naomi E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Paul N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Appleby
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Overvad
authors.forename: Inge V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Aardestrup
authors.forename: Nina F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Johnsen
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tjønneland
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Linseisen
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaaks
authors.forename: Heiner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boeing
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kröger
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trichopoulou
authors.forename: Assimina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zavitsanou
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trichopoulos
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sacerdote
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Palli
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tumino
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agnoli
authors.forename: Lambertus A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kiemeney
authors.forename: H Bas
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Bueno-de-Mesquita
authors.forename: María-Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Chirlaque
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ardanaz
authors.forename: Nerea
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Larrañaga
authors.forename: José R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Quirós
authors.forename: Maria-José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Pär
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stattin
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hallmans
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bingham
authors.forename: Kay-Tee
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Khaw
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Slimani
authors.forename: Mazda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jenab
authors.forename: Elio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riboli
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Key
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D004032:Diet; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016017:Odds Ratio; D019308:Palmitic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D010743:Phospholipids; D013229:Stearic Acids; D019308:Palmitic Acid; C031183:stearic acid