ÜDS-2008-Spring-09

ÖSYM • osym
March 23, 2008 1 min

The evidence linking dietary fat with cancer is less conclusive than for heart disease, but it does suggest an association between total fat intake and some types of cancer. Dietary fat seems not to initiate cancer development but to promote cancer once it has arisen. Some studies report a relationship between specific cancers and saturated fat or dietary fat from animal sources, which is mostly saturated. Thus, health advice to reduce the risk of cancer parallels that given to reduce the risk of heart disease: reduce total fat intake, especially saturated fat. The relationship between dietary fat and the risk of cancer differs for various types of cancers. In the case of breast cancer, some studies indicate little or no association between dietary fat and cancer. Others find that total energy intake is a better predictor than the percentage of kcalories from fat. In the case of prostate cancer, there does appear to be a strong association with fat. This association appears to be due primarily to saturated fat from meats; fat from milk or fish has not been implicated in cancer risk.


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