Fat and Breast Cancer

Could what you eat affect your risk for breast cancer?

We know that diet can have a big impact on health. Now there have been two recent studies suggesting that a high-fat diet – especially a diet high in animal fat – may increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer.

Researchers in Britain and the United States found in separate studies that women who ate more fat had a higher cancer risk than women who ate a lower-fat diet. The British study found that women who ate less than 40 grams of fat a day had half the risk for breast cancer than women who ate 90 grams of fat. The American study found that women who ate the most fat had a 33 percent higher cancer risk than the women who ate the least fat. Saturated fat, which is found in animal products like milk, cheese and meat, seemed to have the most effect on breast cancer risk.

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say most previous research has shown that it’s a high-fat diet during childhood and early adolescence that has the greatest impact on adult breast cancer risks. Other research hasn’t found a strong link between adult fat intake and breast cancer risk.

At any rate, there are still numerous health benefits to eating a diet low in saturated fat. That’s a good way to lower your risk for heart disease and some other kinds of cancer.