Study: Animal Fats Linked with Breast Cancer

[Guest guest]

Study: Animal Fats Linked with Breast Cancer! JoAnn Guest Jul 18, 2003 13:53

PDT

 

Study: Animal Fats Linked with Breast Cancer

Tue Jul 15, 6:01 PM ET Add Health - Reuters to My

 

 

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Young women who eat more red meat and full-fat

dairy products such as cheese may be raising their risk of breast cancer

(news - web sites), researchers reported on Tuesday

 

------

 

They said their study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer

Institute (news - web sites), provides yet another incentive for women

to shun fatty foods and consume fresh fruits, vegetables and whole

grains.

 

 

" When we compared the women in the highest fat intake group with women

in lowest intake group, those with the highest intake had a 33 percent

greater risk of invasive breast cancer, " Eunyoung Cho of Brigham and

Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School (news - web sites) said in a

telephone interview.

 

 

Cho said her study was unique because it included women who had not

reached menopause. Breast cancer takes years to develop, although it

usually shows up after menopause, and factors early in a woman's life

may be important.

 

 

Women most at risk of breast cancer obtained, on average, 23 percent of

calories from animal fat, versus 12 percent in the lowest-risk group.

 

 

Vegetable fats such as olive oil did not affect a woman's risk. " We

found that it was not total fat but certain types of fat that was

related to breast cancer risk, " Cho said.

 

 

The study of more than 90,000 women aged 26 to 46 was taken from the

Nurses' Health Study, in which volunteers answer regular questionnaires

about diet and lifestyle and that data is analyzed by researchers who

track the women's health.

 

 

Over the eight years of the study, 714 women developed invasive breast

cancer.

 

 

" Overall, we observed that there was a higher risk of breast cancer

among women who ate foods rich in animal fat such as red meat, cheese,

ice cream and butter during their 20s, 30s and 40s, " Cho said.

 

 

CONTROVERSIAL AREA

 

 

" In an area of breast cancer research that has yielded often starkly

different findings, we have illustrated that there may be stronger

support for lowering overall animal fat intake, especially during a

woman's early adult life, " she added.

 

 

Hydrogenated oils, hardened to be more like butter and lard, clog

arteries just like butter and lard do. Last week the U.S. government

said it would require food manufacturers to label foods with trans-fats

-- found in animal and hydrogenated fat.

 

 

Researchers have long noted that the rates of certain cancers are higher

in the West than in Asia. But it has not been clear whether that is due

to what people eat -- such as animal fat and dairy products -- or what

they do not eat -- perhaps soy, vegetables or other products.

 

 

Cho, an epidemiologist who studies patterns of disease as well as a

nutritionist, said it is not clear how animal fat may cause cancer.

 

 

" Fat intake in general has been hypothesized to increase circulating

hormone levels such estrogen levels, " she said.

 

 

Cooked red meat contains cancer-causing agents and is also liked with

colon cancer.

 

 

Eating less meat and full-fat dairy can also help a woman reduce her

risk of heart disease, the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the

industrialized world, Cho said.

 

 

 

 

 

According to the World Health Organization (news - web sites), more than

1.2 million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

Breast cancer will kill more than 40,000 Americans this year.

 

 

 

The complete " Whole Body " Health line consists of the " AIM GARDEN TRIO "

Ask About Health Professional Support Series: AIM Barleygreen

 

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/AIM.html

 

 

 

 

 

SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!