High fat diets protect against breast cancer

This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association 1992 Oct 21;268(15):2037-44

Study title and authors:

Dietary fat and fiber in relation to risk of breast cancer. An 8-year follow-up.

Willett WC, Hunter DJ, Stampfer MJ, Colditz G, Manson JE, Spiegelman D, Rosner B, Hennekens CH, Speizer FE.

Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1328696

This study investigated the association of dietary fat, fiber and the risk of breast cancer. 89,494 women aged 34 - 59 were followed up for 8 years.

The study found:

·         Women who had the highest fat intake had a 14% decreased risk of breast cancer.

·         Women who had the lowest dietary fibre intake had a 2% decreased risk of breast cancer.

This study shows that dietary fat is protective against breast cancer incidence.