Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40515761›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of nutrition2025

Inverse association between eicosapentaenoic acid and incident colorectal cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis of twenty-six independent prospective cohorts.

Wei Chen, Ze-Bin Dai, Qing-Xi Jiang, Liao Zhang, Yu-Tian Xia, Yu-Ning Lai, Fang Shi, Xiang Hu, Yu-Hsin Chen, Bo Yang

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Wei ChenDepartment of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Ze-Bin DaiThe Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Qing-Xi JiangDepartment of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Liao ZhangDepartment of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Yu-Tian XiaDepartment of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Yu-Ning LaiThe 1 st School of Medicine, School of Information and Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Fang ShiDepartment of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Xiang HuThe 1 st School of Medicine, School of Information and Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Yu-Hsin ChenSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. yhandrewc@gmail.com.
Bo YangDepartment of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. ybzju@zju.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4475-2426

Funding

the 2017 Chinese Nutrition Society (CNS) Nutrition Research Foundation-DSM Research Fund 95017008the Programs Foundation of the Wenzhou Medical University of Zhejiang Province, China 89217015the Scientific Technician Funding of Wenzhou Science and Technology Bureau (X20210055), the Basic Medicine Funding of Wenzhou Science and Technology Bureau Y20180195
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWhile individual n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) exhibited distinct mechanisms in attenuating colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, their prospective associations with CRC risk remain inconsistent. This study aimed to determine the dose-response relationships between total and individual n-3 PUFAs and incident CRC.

methodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library though April 2024 for pertinent prospective cohorts assessing dietary or blood-based n-3 PUFAs in relation to CRC risk. The shape of nonlinear dose-response relationships was modeled using one-stage random-effects meta-analyses. Study-specific risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for per unit increase in PUFAs exposure were pooled to assess the strength of linear trends using random-effects inverse-variance weighting meta-analyses.

resultsTwenty-six cohorts were included, comprising 18 dietary cohorts (19,763 events and 1,663,721 participants) and 8 biomarker cohorts (3,443 events and 14,316 participants). Each 100-mg/day increase in EPA intake was slightly associated with 5% reductions in CRC risk (RR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91-1.00), whereas no significant association was observed for DHA. A strong inverse linear trend was observed for per 1% increase in circulating LC n-3 PUFA levels (p for linearity < 0.001), with a pooled RR of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80-0.92) for EPA and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91-0.99) for DHA.

conclusionCirculating EPA levels demonstrated a significant inverse dose-dependent association with CRC risk. These findings suggest that increasing intake of EPA through diet or supplementation to elevate PUFAs' levels in circulating may contribute to preventing against the incident CRC.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsDietEicosapentaenoic AcidDocosahexaenoic AcidsDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesRisk FactorsDocosahexaenoic AcidsEicosapentaenoic AcidBiomarkerColorectal cancerEicosapentaenoic acidMeta-analysisN-3 fatty acids

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.