No Link Between Fat Intake, Colon Cancer
 

Friday September 28

Study: No Link Between Fat Intake, Colon Cancer

By Kristin Demos

STOCKHOLM (Reuters Health) - Consumption of fat and fatty acids appears to have no association with colorectal cancer, neither protecting against nor increasing the risk, according to recently published results from an ongoing study in Sweden.

``Previous studies from the United States have said total fat intake increases the risk of colorectal cancer, but they're old studies. Today there are so many types of fat,'' said Dr. Alicja Wolk, lead author of the study and a professor of nutritional epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Through a questionnaire, Wolk and her colleagues assessed the food consumption of over 61,000 cancer-free Swedish women aged 40 to 74. Ten years later, in 1998, the researchers found 460 cases of colorectal cancer: 291 of colon cancer, 159 of rectal cancer and 10 cases of both.

The investigators looked at consumption of saturated and monounsaturated fats and different types of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega 6's found in soy and sunflower oil and omega 3's found in rape oil and marine fatty acids such as salmon or mackerel.

The researchers expected that omega 6's would be associated with an increased colorectal cancer risk and that omega 3's would be protective, Wolk explained to Reuters Health. Instead, they found that total fat intake, including saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, had no association with colorectal cancer risk.

``We are looking at the Swedish women's population who have a low intake of total fat in general,'' Wolk said. ``I don't think people should eat too much fat or any fat that they want because we know that consumption of large amounts of fat can lead to obesity, which is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer and other problems.''

In other related studies, Wolk and her team have found that polyunsaturated fats are associated with a lower risk of heart and blood vessel disease and that consumption of fatty fish like salmon and mackerel is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer. Her study showed that those who don't eat fatty fish have a three times higher risk of dying from prostate cancer.

``We encourage a balanced way of eating when it comes to fat intake,'' Wolk added. ``We should do what the Mediterranean people do. Eat more olive oil. But not too much.''

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/200...hl/colon_1.html

thanks for posting this wa'il! i've been trying to explain to people that fat, including saturated fat, is good for them! i'm a bit confused about the polyunsaturates, though! i thought that they weren't good for us! a reversal of the old thought! i just can't keep up with it all!;)