HealthCentral, Science And Medicine

Fatty diet not linked to breast cancer, study says

October 30, 2000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Eating a high fat diet does not increase the production of hormones that bring a higher risk of breast cancer, according to a team of Harvard researchers.

"This is good news for women," said Dr. Michelle Holmes from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts in a news release. "It's one less thing they need to worry about if they are concerned about breast cancer."

Scientists have suggested that a high fat diet would increase the levels of the female hormone estrogen, which has already been implicated in the development of breast cancer, the authors explain.

Holmes and associates compared hormone levels in 381 women and correlated them to the proportion of the calories in their diet came from fat.

Contrary to previous suggestions, women who consumed a higher fat diet seemed to have lower levels of estrogen than did women who consumed a lower fat diet, the authors report.

This proved especially true when the results were adjusted for the presence of obesity, according to the report in the November 1st Journal of Clinical Oncology. With this adjustment, each 5% increase in energy from fat brought a 2.3% decrease in estrogen level.

Therefore, the authors conclude, these results argue against the theory that high fat diets increase the level of estrogen and the risk of breast cancer.

As far as dieting to lower the risk of breast cancer, Holmes said, "It does not seem likely that eating a low-fat diet in mid-life can lower hormone production."

Ooops! I forgot to include the link to the original article. Sorry.

http://www.healthcentral.com/News/N...ype=ReutersNews

Doreen

Interesting how data can be "spun" by researchers to say something else. Check this article from last week:

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Tuesday October 24 1:33 PM ET
High Fat Diet May Contribute to Breast Cancer Risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The primary cause of breast cancer is still largely unknown. But the results of a new study indicate that a high fat diet by itself, while not likely to cause breast cancer, probably plays a supporting role.

The study findings are the latest round in a scientific debate about the link between breast cancer and dietary fat.

UK researcher Dr. Richard A. Wiseman, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examined ``all relevant epidemiological and biological evidence'' pertaining to the development of breast cancer, in an effort to pinpoint a single cause responsible for the majority of cases.

The published data do not incriminate genes, the environment or infection as the main cause of breast cancer, Wiseman reports in the November issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Although estrogen is a promoter of breast cancer, according to the data, it is not the main cause of the disease.

``Dietary factors and especially fat consumption are associated with breast cancer,'' Wiseman concludes. ``However, the hypothesis that best fits the data is that dietary fat is not itself the causal agent but instead causes depletion of an essential agent that is normally protective against breast cancer.''

Wiseman further hypothesizes that a deficiency of this yet-to-be discovered agent, either by inadequate intake or depletion via a high-fat diet, working in tandem with age and estrogen, permits breast cancer to develop.

He speculates that the primary cause of breast cancer is a ''micro-nutrient or trace element present in soils,'' which then enters the food chain. ``Research into...micro-nutrients, trace elements, antibodies to infective agents and vitamins,'' should help identify the agent, he concludes. ``If such an agent is detected, then intervention studies with supplementation should lead to a decline in the incidence of breast cancer.''

SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2000;54:851-858.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001024/hl/diet_3.html

The results of the Harvard study (in my first post of this thread) were officially released Nov.1/00 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, THE gold standard in cancer research information. The study was undertaken using real women, and real life situations. I trust it.

The second study, from the UK, was done by an Epidemiologist (studies the spread & control of diseases), who simply reviewed other studies. His own conclusions were inconclusive. He uses the word MAY and POSSIBLY a lot. Yet, as Wa'il pointed out, his article earned a screaming headline from Reuters, in NewYork.

Here's another headliner about the Harvard Study, from HealthCentral.com

Surprising Finding About Dietary Fat And Breast Cancer

November 01, 2000
When looking at the relationship between certain foods and cancer, there’s a lot we don’t know and surprising findings keep cropping up.

For example, it’s been generally believed that women who eat a high fat diet are at a greater risk for breast cancer, but a new study by Harvard researchers comes to the opposite conclusion.

The latest finding shows that fatty diets don’t increase the production of estrogen, high levels of which have been implicated in the development of breast cancer. Instead, consuming high fat foods seems to lower the hormone levels, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

This inverse association between fat and estrogen levels certainly comes as a surprise to me because it’s contrary to previous beliefs. At least having fat in the diet is one less thing women have to worry about when it comes to risk factors for breast cancer.

Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nov. 1, 2000 (Michelle Holmes, M.D., et al, Harvard Medical School).


Doreen's note - I have a strong family history of breast cancer, and other risk factors as well. I confess that I had a few uncertainties about increasing my fat intake while following a lowcarb diet. This takes a great load of worry off my mind.

Thanks for this post Doreen, bumping it as it may be of interest to others who missed it first time round.