WASHINGTON — In a large prospective cohort with a wide range of intakes,
dietary fat of animal origin was associated with increased pancreatic cancer
risk (J Nation Cancer Instit. 2009) (DOI:10.1093/jnci/djp168). Researchers
prospectively analyzed the association between intakes of fat, fat subtypes and
fat food sources and exocrine pancreatic cancer in the National Institutes of
Health–AARP Diet and Health Study, a U.S. cohort of 308,736 men and 216,737
women who completed a 124-item food frequency questionnaire in 1995 to 1996.
Over an average follow-up of 6.3 years, 865 men and 472 women were diagnosed
with exocrine pancreatic cancer. After multivariable adjustment and combination
of data for men and women, pancreatic cancer risk was directly related to the
intakes of total fat, saturated fat and monounsaturated fat, but not
polyunsaturated fat. The associations were strongest for saturated fat from
animal food sources; specifically, intakes from red meat and dairy products were
both statistically significantly associated with increased pancreatic cancer
risk.
