Dietary monounsaturated fatty acids in relation to risk of gastric cancer

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) are considered healthy fats with a single double bond in the constituent fatty acids and have antioxidant properties, cholesterol-lowering properties, and ability to reduce chronic inflammation. Evidence regarding the effect of MUFA intake on gastric cancer risk is inconclusive among diverse populations. Given the differences in dietary composition among different racial/ethnicities, we aimed to evaluate the association between MUFA intake and risk of gastric cancer in a hospital-based case-control study comprising 1182 incident cases of gastric cancer and 2965 controls in Vietnam.

MUFA intake was quantified using a semi-quantitative validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). We used an unconditional logistic regression model to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of gastric cancer in relation to MUFA intake.

Overall, there was an inverse association between MUFA intake and gastric cancer risk (OR_{per-SD increment} = 0.75, 95% CI 0.67-0.84; P_trend < 0.001). Compared with the lowest quintile, the ORs (95% CIs) of gastric cancer for quintiles 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the MUFA intake were 0.86 (0.68-1.03), 0.65 (0.51-0.81), 0.53 (0.41-0.67) and 0.43 (0.33-0.57), respectively. A similar pattern was observed in both sexes and in individuals aged < 60 years and those aged 60 years or older.

In summary, MUFA intake was associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer in the Vietnamese population, regardless of sex or age. Our findings have great implications for gastric cancer prevention and control programs in low-middle-income countries and similar limited-resource settings.