Nutrients

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Nutritional Factors, Lifestyle Patterns and Breast Cancer

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Niki Mourouti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 17671 Athens, Greece
Interests: clinical nutrition; public health; cancer epidemiology; lifestyle/dietary patterns; diet/nutrition and cancer; lifestyle interventions; health literacy

Dr. Eva Karaglani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 17671 Athens, Greece
2. European Centre for Obesity, Harokopio University, 17671 Athens, Greece
Interests: clinical nutrition; public health; cancer epidemiology; lifestyle/dietary patterns; diet and cancer; lifestyle interventions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Breast cancer remains one of the most prevalent malignancies affecting women worldwide, with incidence rates continuing to rise, particularly in industrialized regions. A growing body of evidence highlights the substantial influence of modifiable lifestyle factors on both the prevention and progression of the disease. Diet, physical activity, body weight, alcohol consumption, and exposure to environmental factors are increasingly recognized as critical components of breast cancer risk. Moreover, broader lifestyle patterns—shaped by cultural, socioeconomic, and behavioral determinants—offer valuable insights into how everyday habits may influence hormonal regulation, inflammation, and immune response, all of which are implicated in cancer etiology. This Special Issue aims to explore the complex relationship between nutritional factors, lifestyle patterns, and breast cancer through interdisciplinary perspectives, addressing both preventive strategies and the promotion of long-term survivorship and well-being.

Dr. Niki Mourouti
Dr. Eva Karaglani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.

Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.

Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.

External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.

Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

25 pages, 1413 KB

Open AccessArticle

Lifelong n-3 PUFA Consumption Reduces HER2+ Mammary Tumour Growth and Alters Immune Markers Compared to Safflower- or Corn Oil-Based Sources of n-6 PUFA

by Rahbika Ashraf, Connor D. C. Buchanan, Lyn M. Hillyer, Elizaveta Ogloblina, Geoffrey A. Wood, Richard P. Bazinet, Sanjeena Subedi, A. Michelle Edwards, Young-In Kim, William J. Muller, Jennifer M. Monk, Lindsay E. Robinson and David W. L. Ma

Nutrients 2026, 18(4), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18040606 - 12 Feb 2026

Viewed by 815

Abstract

Background: n-3 PUFA derived from marine sources, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), exhibit potential for breast cancer prevention. In contrast, higher dietary intakes of n-6 PUFA, such as linoleic acid (LA), have been implicated in promoting mammary tumourigenesis. However, there is a need for further exploration into how n-3 PUFA influence breast cancer development in comparison to different amounts and sources of LA. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of n-3 PUFA-enriched diets versus n-6 PUFA diets differing in LA content, including corn oil (50% LA) and safflower oil (70% LA), on mammary tumour development in a HER2+ breast cancer model. Methods: Using the HER2+ breast cancer MMTV-neu(ndl)YD5 transgenic mouse model, this study determined the effects of: (1) 10% w/w corn oil (CO, n-6 PUFA, n = 14), (2) 10% w/w safflower oil (SO, n-6 PUFA, n = 14), (3) 3% w/w menhaden oil + 7% w/w CO (3% FO 7% CO, n-3 PUFA, n = 12), and (4) 3% w/w menhaden oil + 7% w/w SO (3% FO 7% SO, n-3 PUFA, n = 14) on puberty onset, tumour incidence, tumour volume, and tumour number in utero until 20 weeks of age. Results: Mice fed the n-3 PUFA-enriched diets showed a lower trajectory of tumour development compared to the n-6 PUFA diets, although the differences for palpated tumour volume and number over time reached significance only between the 10% CO and 3% FO 7% CO groups. This suggests that high LA content in CO may represent a threshold for promoting tumour growth whereby further LA content marginally influences additional tumour development. Exposure to the CO n-6 PUFA diet further resulted in earlier onset of puberty compared to the n-3 PUFA-enriched diet containing CO. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, a qPCR analysis of mammary glands and tumour tissue revealed that the n-3 PUFA diets downregulated the expression of pro-tumourigenic immune markers, including CD206 and F4/80 in the mammary glands and the cannabinoid receptor CB2 in tumours, compared to the n-6 PUFA diets. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the presence of dietary n-3 PUFA plays a key role in modulating mammary tumour development, which may be further influenced by the underlying n-6 PUFA background. The associated changes in immune markers suggest that n-3 PUFA exert anticancer effects in part by shifting the tumour immune microenvironment toward an anti-tumour phenotype and modulating cannabinoid receptor signalling. Collectively, this work informs future human studies investigating the role of dietary fat composition in breast cancer risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Factors, Lifestyle Patterns and Breast Cancer)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Nutritional Factors, Lifestyle Patterns and Breast Cancer

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI