Three different reports of a study w/ rather diff. emphasis. No wonder this is a confusing subject. The study only looked at postmenopausal women.
Kath
1.. Increased Breast Cancer Risk Associated with Greater Fat Intake [Eureka News Service]
2.. Eating a high-fat diet may lead to an increased risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
3.. Although environmental and animal studies have suggested that greater fat consumption may increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer, the results of epidemiologic studies have been inconclusive.
4.. Anne Thiébaut, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues asked 188,736 postmenopausal women how much and how often they ate certain foods to determine how fat intake affects breast cancer risk. Of the women surveyed, 3,501 developed invasive breast cancer.
5.. The researchers found that doubling fat intake, from 20 percent to 40 percent, was associated with a 15 percent increase in breast cancer risk. The increase in risk was similar for all types of fat-saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
6.. "Meanwhile, results from this large prospective cohort with a wide intake range should contribute to the ongoing debate about the association between dietary fat and the risk of the breast cancer," the authors write.
7.. In an accompanying editorial, Stephanie Smith-Warner, Ph.D., and Meir Stampfer, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, propose that interventions that focus on controlling the amount of body fat, rather than fat intake, would be more effective in preventing breast cancer. "The modest associations that have been observed for dietary fat and breast cancer risk in observational studies and clinical trials stand in sharp contrast to the robust evidence for a strong link between [body fat] and the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer," the authors write.
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10.. ABSTRACT: Dietary Fat and Postmenopausal Invasive Breast Cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study Cohort [Journal of the National Cancer Institute; Subscribe; Sample]
Background: Although ecologic association and animal studies support a direct effect of dietary fat on the development of breast cancer, results of epidemiologic studies have been inconclusive.
Methods: We prospectively analyzed the association between fat consumption and the incidence of postmenopausal invasive breast cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, a US cohort comprising 188 736 postmenopausal women who completed a 124-item food-frequency questionnaire in 1995-1996. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression models with adjustment for energy and potential confounding factors. All statistical tests were two-sided.
Results: Over an average follow-up of 4.4 years, the cohort yielded 3501 cases of invasive breast cancer. The hazard ratio of breast cancer for the highest (median intake, 40.1% energy from total fat; 434 cases per 100 000 person-years) versus the lowest (median intake, 20.3% energy from total fat; 392 cases per 100 000 person-years) quintile of total fat intake was 1.11 (95% CI = 1.00 to 1.24; Ptrend = .017). The corresponding hazard ratio for a twofold increase in percent energy from total fat on the continuous scale was 1.15 (95% CI = 1.05 to 1.26). Positive associations were also found for subtypes of fat (hazard ratio for a twofold increase in percent energy from saturated fat = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.22; from monounsaturated fat, HR = 1.12; 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.21; from polyunsaturated fat, HR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.20). Correction for measurement error in nutrient intakes, on the basis of a calibration substudy that used two 24-hour dietary recalls, strengthened the associations, yielding an estimated hazard ratio for total fat of 1.32 (95% CI = 1.11 to 1.58). Secondary analyses showed that associations between total, saturated, and monounsaturated fat intakes were confined to women who were not using menopausal hormone therapy at baseline.
Conclusion: In this large prospective cohort with a wide range of fat intake, dietary fat intake was directly associated with the risk of postmenopausal invasive breast cancer.
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1.. OPEN ACCESS: EDITORIAL: Fat Intake and Breast Cancer Revisited [Journal of the National Cancer Institute; Subscribe; Sample]
2.. On the basis of the main findings from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study and other studies described above, it appears that dietary fat intake during postmenopausal years has little, if any, impact on breast cancer risk, although intake may be associated with higher risks of breast cancer for specific population subgroups, such as menopausal hormone users or younger women. This potential interaction of dietary fat with the hormonal milieu is of interest and can be addressed using a variety of approaches, including mechanistic studies, studies of younger age groups, and pooled analyses of multiple studies, to increase statistical power. Examining a wide range of populations with different dietary patterns may help to disentangle potentially different effects of specific subtypes of fat. For example, in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, despite the wide range in total fat intakes, the high correlation between saturated and monounsaturated fat intakes (Pearson correlation coefficient = .81) limited the ability to evaluate their independent associations with risk. Also, additional investigation of particular contributors to fat intake, such as red meat and dairy products, would be valuable.
3.. The modest associations that have been observed for dietary fat and breast cancer risk in observational studies and clinical trials stand in sharp contrast to the robust evidence for a strong link between adiposity and the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Thus, from a prevention perspective, interventions to control the amount of body fat (e.g., promotion of exercise and caloric restraint) are likely to have a greater impact on breast cancer incidence than a reduction in fat intake.
4.. [NOTE: For the editorial paper, please follow the supplied link.]
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