TRANS FATTY ACIDS AND BREAST CANCER
Report #7256
Dr. Lenore Kohlmeier of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1) confirmed many other studies (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12) that show that those who eat the most partially hydrogenated trans fats in margarines and bakery products are the ones most likely to suffer diseases such as breast cancer and heart attacks. Her studies are particularly dependable because she was able to tell the type of fat that people ate by analyzing the fat removed from the buttocks of 700 postmenopausal women. Previous studies used a less dependable dietary history.
Fats are classified by their chemical structure. Saturated fats are found primarily in meat, and polyunsaturated fats found primarily in vegetables. Polyunsaturated fats have a very short shelf life, so manufacturers change them to partially hydrogenated fats and use these vegetable oils to make bakery products, margarines and prepared foods. For the last 30 years, breast cancer risk has increased in North American women, probably caused by women restricting their intake of saturated fat in meat and dairy products to avoid heart disease and increasing their intake of the partially hydrogenated oils found in margarines and bakery products.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
1) Kohlmeier, L et al. Cancer Epidemiology October, 1997. 2) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August, 1996. 3) A Ascherio, CH Hennekens, JE Buring, C Master, MJ Stampfer, WC Willett. Trans-Fatty
Acids Intake and Risk of Myocardial Infarction. Circulation 89: 1 (JAN 1994):94-101. 4) NEJM 12/23/94. 5) J Lipid Research 1992;33:1029-36. 6) A Ascherio, CH Hennekens, JE Buring, C Master, MJ Stampfer, WC Willett. Trans-Fatty
Acids Intake and Risk of Myocardial Infarction Circulation 89: 1 (JAN 1994):94-101. 7) American Journal of Pubic Health May, 1994. 8) A Tavani, E Negri, B Davanzo, C Lavecchia. Margarine intake and risk of nonfatal
acute myocardial infarction in Italian women. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51:
1(JAN 1997):30-32. 9) MW Gillman, LA Cupples, D Gagnon, BE Millen, RC Ellison, WP Castelli. Margarine
intake and subsequent coronary heart disease in men. Epidemiology 8: 2(MAR 1997):144-149. 10) JH Weisburger. Dietary fat and risk of chronic disease: Mechanistic insights from
experimental studies. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 97: 7 Suppl. 1 (JUL
1997):S16-S23. 11) P Greenwald, K Sherwood, SS Mcdonald. Fat, caloric intake, and obesity: Lifestyle
risk factors for breast cancer. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 97: 7 Suppl.
1 (JUL 1997):S24-S30. 12) LH Kuller. Dietary fat and chronic diseases: Epidemiologic overview. Journal of the
American Dietetic Association. 97: 7 Suppl. 1 (JUL 1997):S9-S15.
Reported 11/2/97; see report #N198.
Health Reports from The Dr. Gabe Mirkin Show and DrMirkin.com