Fat Linked to Breast Cancer

Fats that are common in some diets have been linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

The substances, called trans fatty acids, are prominent in many processed and fast foods, margarines and some vegetable oils. A study of nearly 700 postmenopausal European women found that those whose bodies contained the highest levels of trans fatty acids were 40 percent
more likely than those with the lowest levels to develop breast cancer.

The greatest risk -- three and a half times as high as the risk among those with the lowest levels -- was seen among women with both the highest trans fatty acid levels and low levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The lead researcher on the study, Lenore Kohlmeier, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the findings might be especially relevant to American women,whose intake of trans fatty acids is about twice that of European and Asian women.

The new study is believed to be more accurate than most because it measured the fatty acid content of the women's body fat rather than asking them about the foods they ate. The researchers analyzed tiny fat samples taken from the buttocks, which provide the truest reflection of dietary intake of various kinds of fats.

Trans fatty acids do not occur naturally in food. They are formed when vegetable oils are partly hydrogenated to form margarine and other solid vegetable cooking fats. Trans fatty acids are also added to some liquid vegetable oils to extend their shelf life, although this fact is not stated on the label. Previous studies have linked trans fatty acids to an increased risk of heart disease.

Ms. Kohlmeier said that people can reduce their intake and body burden of trans fatty acids by changing their diets. She said that it would take about two years for a reduced intake of these fats to be reflected as a lower level in stored body fat.

http://www.fauxpress.com/kimball/med/candiet/fat.html