High fat diet may contribute to breast cancer risk

October 26, 2000

October 24, 2000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The primary cause of breast cancer is still

largely unknown. But the results of a new study indicate that a high fat

diet by itself, while not likely to cause breast cancer, probably plays a

supporting role.

The study findings are the latest round in a scientific debate about the

link between breast cancer and dietary fat.

UK researcher Dr. Richard A. Wiseman, of the London School of Hygiene and

Tropical Medicine, examined " all relevant epidemiological and biological

evidence " pertaining to the development of breast cancer, in an effort to

pinpoint a single cause responsible for the majority of cases.

The published data do not incriminate genes, the environment or infection as

the main cause of breast cancer, Wiseman reports in the November issue of

the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Although estrogen is a

promoter of breast cancer, according to the data, it is not the main cause

of the disease.

" Dietary factors and especially fat consumption are associated with breast

cancer, " Wiseman concludes. " However, the hypothesis that best fits the data

is that dietary fat is not itself the causal agent but instead causes

depletion of an essential agent that is normally protective against breast

cancer. "

Wiseman further hypothesizes that a deficiency of this yet-to-be discovered

agent, either by inadequate intake or depletion via a high-fat diet, working

in tandem with age and estrogen, permits breast cancer to develop.

He speculates that the primary cause of breast cancer is a " micro-nutrient

or trace element present in soils, " which then enters the food chain.

" Research into...micro-nutrients, trace elements, antibodies to infective

agents and vitamins, " should help identify the agent, he concludes. " If such

an agent is detected, then intervention studies with supplementation should

lead to a decline in the incidence of breast cancer. "

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