Evidence mapPaperPMID 41999613Full record

Trial reportCancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.)2026

Weight Loss and Omega-3 Supplementation Modulate the Microbiome in Women with Increased Breast Cancer Risk.

Katherine L Cook, Erin D Giles, Josh J Sekela, Joshua B Simpson, Matthew R Redinbo, Adam S Wilson, Shahid Umar, Christie A Befort, Bruce F Kimler, Stephen D Hursting and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2026. 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

11 authors.

Katherine L CookDepartment of Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.ORCID 0000-0001-6241-0214
Erin D GilesSchool of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0002-8677-2831
Josh J SekelaDepartment of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.ORCID 0000-0002-5439-491X
Joshua B SimpsonDepartment of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.ORCID 0000-0002-4577-2448
Matthew R RedinboDepartment of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.ORCID 0000-0003-0814-5346
Adam S WilsonDepartment of Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.ORCID 0009-0001-8408-7478
Shahid UmarDepartment of Surgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.ORCID 0000-0003-0579-6813
Christie A BefortDepartment of Population Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.ORCID 0000-0003-4290-9979
Bruce F KimlerDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.ORCID 0000-0001-7021-6964
Stephen D HurstingDepartment of Nutrition, Nutrition Research Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.ORCID 0000-0003-3605-2833
Carol J FabianDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.ORCID 0000-0002-8855-4133

Funding

Transgenic & Gene-Targeting Shared ResourceP30CA168524 · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER · 2025 to 2025
$2.8M
Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF)Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) W81XWH-20-1-0014Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) W81XWH-22-1-0055Morris Family Foundation (The Morris Family Foundation)National Cancer Institute (NCI) P30CA012197National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) GM135218National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) GM137286NCI NIH HHS P30 CA168524
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Obesity is associated with gut dysbiosis, chronic inflammation, and insulin resistance. We assessed the proportional change in fecal microbial populations in a pilot study (n = 34) of peri/postmenopausal women with a body mass index ≥28 kg/m2 who were randomized to receive either 3.25 g/day of omega-3 fatty acids or a placebo during a weight loss intervention. Body composition was assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry, and fecal and blood samples were collected. The median weight change was -10%. Among participants who lost ≥10% of their weight, those assigned to omega-3 fatty acids showed the greatest decrease in the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio and displayed favorable changes in systemic biomarkers. Notable increases in the proportional abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing microbes including Phocaeicola vulgatus and Alistipes putredinis were observed in women receiving omega-3, which correlated with improvements in breast cancer biomarkers such as bioavailable estradiol, adiponectin:leptin ratio, and C-reactive protein levels. Women administered omega-3 fatty acids displayed increased % change in plasma SCFA propionate and decreased butyrate, suggesting that intervention differentially modulated circulating bacteria-derived SCFA metabolites. High-dose omega-3 fatty acids, when added to a behavioral weight loss intervention, promoted beneficial shifts in the gut microbiome and associated with improved breast cancer risk factor biomarkers. PREVENTION RELEVANCE: Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for breast cancer, characterized by chronic inflammation and altered adipokines. This trial addresses the need to enhance weight loss by targeting underlying metabolic and inflammatory drivers. We show that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid) shift SCFA-producing microbiota, increase propionate, and correlate with improved breast cancer risk factor biomarkers.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsDietary SupplementsFatty Acids, Omega-3Gastrointestinal MicrobiomeObesityWeight LossAgedBody Mass IndexFecesFemaleHumansMicrobiotaMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsRisk FactorsFatty Acids, Omega-3

Identifiers

PMID41999613
PMCPMC13430224

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

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.