Fish Oil Supplementation, Nutrigenomics and Colorectal Cancer Prevention

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death within the United States. Animal models and observational studies have suggested that marine-derived n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA] such as eicosapentanoic acid [EPA] and docosahexanoic acid [DHA] may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. In addition, it may be the relative proportion of n-3 to n-6 PUFAs that best determines the chemopreventive effects of fish oils. This ratio is important because the n-6 PUFA, arachidonic acid (ARA), is converted via the cyclo-oxygenase (COX) pathway to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), an inflammatory eicosanoid overproduced in colorectal neoplasms while EPA is converted to the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin E3 (PGE3). While the ratio of n-6 to n-3 PUFAs can be altered through dietary changes, genetic factors may also influence this ratio. Recent genetic studies have demonstrated that much of the tissue levels of ARA is determined by differences in a gene called fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1). FADS1 is the rate-limiting enzyme in the conversion of linoleic acid, the most commonly consumed PUFA in the Western diet, to ARA, and one particular genetic variant caller rs174537 is associated with lower fatty acid desaturase activity and subsequently lower tissue levels of ARA. The study hypothesis is that individuals with genetically determined lower activity of FADS1 will derive greater benefit from fish oil supplementation than individuals with higher FADS1 activity because of lower tissue levels of ARA and subsequently a more favorable n-6 to n-3 PUFA ratio. To test this hypothesis the investigators will recruit 150 participants with recently identified adenomatous polyps and conduct a 6-month double blind 3 X 2 factorial randomized controlled trial. The first factor will be FADS1 genotype (GG, GT, and TT) and the second factor will be fish oil supplementation (fish oil versus placebo). The primary outcome will be the change in rectal epithelial cell growth and cell death. Secondary outcomes will include rectal epithelial cell expression of genes important in PGE2 production, rectal cell production of PGE2 and PGE3, rectal mucosal tissue levels of fatty acids, and changes in biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein), adipokines (leptin, adiponectin), and markers of insulin sensitivity. The specific aims include: 1) to determine the efficacy of fish oil supplements on rectal epithelial cell proliferation indexes and markers of rectal crypt apoptosis, and 2) to determine the effect of genetically-determined fatty acid desaturase 1 activity on fish oil supplementation for colorectal cancer chemoprevention. The investigators long-term objectives are to determine genetic factors that might influence the efficacy of fish oil supplementation in order to conduct a more definitive adenoma recurrence trial using marine-derived n-3 PUFAs. The investigators anticipate that fish oil will have anti-neoplastic effect and individuals with low FADS1 activity will have a greater response compared to individuals with high FADS1 activity