On Wed, 31 Oct 2001 12:38:04 -0400, matesz <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Studies and evidience I have I read indicate that >when cholesterol levels are lowered by increasing PUFA intake (exchaning >saturated fat with polyunsaturated vegetable oils), risk of colon cancer >increases drammatically. I don't have the refs handy. Rachel, if you are making such a general statement I'd urge you to provide the refs. I suspect - I'm quite shure - the tests you thought of was replacing the SFA by ordinary omega-6 PUFAs (like safflor oil, sunflower etc.). This indicates nothing more as we already know: all that omega-6 oil with little or no omega-3 oil promotes cancer (and CHD and allergies too). What a natural and healthy fat composition is, you just have to analyze which kind of fat there is in ordinary food plants and in wild game. Thats roughly 1/3 SFA 1/3 Mufa and 1/3 PUFA, while the omega-6 part of the pufa normally doesn't go below a ratio 1:6 to omega-3's. The exception are only some nuts and other fatty plant seeds (these are often high in w-6). Still cholesterol levels in the blood are the strongest *indicator* for heart disease to come. These are not directly related to colesterol intake (most is body made). But cholesterol levels *are* strongly related to intake of animal fat. Because this usually is from farmed animals and very unfavourable in it's composition, possiply suppressing most PUFA activity, both w-3 and w-6. I think the real culprit for the CHD risks is not the cholesterol but the unfavourable fat composition *usually* associated with it. We could see the difference if once a study was made with high cholesterol wild game fat (as far as such would be available). Or with nature-like fat compositions (maybe with some flax together with the sunflower oil, to reach 1/3 of total fat). regards, Amadeus