Higher dietary fat intake is associated with an increased breast cancer risk

Higher dietary fat intake is associated with an increased breast cancer risk

Breast Cancer-January 19, 2004

"Animal experiments and human ecological studies suggest that dietary fat intake is associated with a risk of breast cancer, but individual-based studies have given contradictory results," investigators in Canada report.

"We have carried out a meta-analysis of this association to include all papers published up to July 2003. Case-control and cohort studies that examined the association of dietary fat, or fat-containing foods, with risk of breast cancer were identified," wrote N.F. Boyd and colleagues, Ontario Cancer Institute, Division of Epidemiology & Statistics.

"A total of 45 risk estimates for total fat intake were obtained. Descriptive data from each study were extracted with an estimate of relative risk and its associated 95% confidence interval (CI), and were analyzed using the random effects model of Der Simonian and Laird," the researchers wrote.

"The summary relative risk, comparing the highest and lowest levels of intake of total fat, was 1.13 (95% CI: 1.03-1.25). Cohort studies (n=14) had a summary relative risk of 1.11 (95% CI: 0.99-1.25) and case-control studies (n=31) had a relative risk of 1.14 (95% CI: 0.99-1.32)," the researchers stated.

"Significant summary relative risks were also found for saturated fat (RR, 1.19; 95% CI: 1.06-1.35) and meat intake (RR, 1.17; 95% CI: 1.06-1.29). Combined estimates of risk for total and saturated fat intake, and for meat intake, all indicate an association between higher intakes and an increased risk of breast cancer. Case-control and cohort studies gave similar results," the researchers concluded.

Boyd and colleagues published their study in the British Journal of Cancer (Dietary fat and breast cancer risk revisited: a meta-analysis of the published literature. Br J Cancer, 2003;89(9):1672-1685).

For additional information, contact N.F. Boyd, Ontario Cancer Institute, Division of Epidemiology & Statistics, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1K9, Canada.

The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of Epidemiology and Oncology. This article was prepared by Health & Medicine Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2004, Health & Medicine Week via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net.