Polyunsaturated fat intake was modestly associated with skin cancer risk, according to a recent study. Researchers examined the association between fat intake and risk of skin cancer including cutaneous malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) within 2 prospective studies: The Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Dietary information on total, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega-6, omega-3 fat, and cholesterol was repeatedly assessed generally every 4 years. Incident cases were identified by self-report and diagnosis on melanoma and SCC were confirmed by pathologic records. They found:

• A total of 794 melanomas, 2,223 SCC, and 17,556 BCC in the NHS (1984 to 2012) and 736 melanomas, 1,756 SCC, and 13,092 BCC in the HPFS (1986 to 2012) were documented.
• Higher polyunsaturated fat intake was associated with risk of SCC and BCC.
• Higher omega-6 fat intake was associated with risks of SCC, BCC, and melanoma.
• Omega-3 fat intake was associated with risk of BCC, but not with SCC or melanoma.
• No other fats were associated with melanoma risk.