Cutting fat Lowers Risk for Prostate Cancer
Reported May 16, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Cutting back on omega 6 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fats may help prevent prostate cancer.
Researchers at UCLAs Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Urology found there was a 27 percent drop in the incidence of prostate cancer in mice that were fed a very low fat diet. They also studied precancerous prostate cells and found that in the mice eating the low fat diet, the cells grew much slower than mice fed a high fat diet.
The team focused on fats most common in a Western diet. That includes polyunsaturated fats and fat from corn oil, which is primarily omega 6 fatty acid. Omega 6s are also found in high levels in baked and fried goods. The researchers defined a low-fat diet as one where 12 percent of calories came from fat and high fat as a diet with 40 percent of the calories from fat.
We didnt know what to expect in terms of the role of reducing dietary fat in preventing prostate cancer, William Aronson, a professor of urology and senior author of the study, was quoted as saying. We think this is an important finding and were presently performing further studies in animal models and conducting clinical trials in men.
SOURCE: Cancer Research, 2008;68