More data is in: Saturated fat (primarily from meat and
dairy products) contributes to prostate cancer. For you "meat and potatoes guys" I'd cut out the meat
if I were you, especially if you have prostate CA in
your family.
Mac D's isn't going to pay for any of your medical bills,
will they?
I hate to just quote data from other sources, but it might
help you meat eaters:
More Evidence That Saturated Fat Contributes to PCa
A research team at Stanford University reported on May 4, 1995 the results of the most
ambitious study ever done on the risks of high saturated diets as a factor in prostate cancer.
The study compared 1,665 men with prostate cancer to about the same number without
cancer.
The team analyzed the intake of total fats, calories, protein, carbohydrates and saturated
fat. Only saturated fat correlated to an increased incidence of prostate cancer.
Dr. Gerald Murphy, a leading specialist in prostate cancer at the Pacific Northwest Cancer
Center in Seattle, and one of the early researchers of the PSA test termed the report
"landmark". He said the study should convince men to restrict the amount of saturated fats
in their diets, and that not only the risk of prostate cancer is increased, but it's been known
for a long time that the fats are a cause of heart attacks and coronary artery disease.
The men were divided into five groups according to their intake of saturated fat, from very
low--11 grams a day--to very high--more than 45 grams a day. There was no increase in
prostate cancer in the low intake group, but the risk increased almost threefold in the group
who consumed the largest amounts of saturated fat.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute - 10/04/95.
Dietary Fat and Tumor Growth in Mice
Reduction of dietary fat substantially reduced the growth of human LNCaP prostate tumors
in nude mice, Wang et al. (p. 1456) found. The investigators report that tumor growth
rates, final tumor weights, and ratios of final tumor rates to animal weights were
substantially greater in the mice kept on the high-fat diets. For example, the average tumor
weight in the 40.5-kcal% fat group was 2.6 g compared with 1.1 g in the mice on the
lowest fat diet (2.3 kcal% fat). In addition, they say, serum PSA levels measured at the end
of the experiment were directly proportional to tumor burden, indicating that PSA levels
may remain a useful marker of tumor progression after dietary intervention.
In an editorial, Gaziano and Hennekens (p. 1427) point out that few risk factors have been
established for prostate cancer. They note that the findings of Wang et al. raise the
possibility that prostate growth rates may be modulated by dietary modification and that fat
reduction specifically may delay progression of prostate cancer in laboratory animals.
However, they say, any clinical recommendations must await further research; additional basic and epidemiologic data will be required to establish if a link exists between dietary fat and human prostate cancer.
If you have any other questions on this, consult the "Wellness Web"
site in the U.S. Also, tomato sauce is supposed to help reduce the
risk of prostate CA, especially if it is cooked and combined with
a small amount of oil in preparation. (underline small)
Do it for yourself...
(Dr.) M.M. Rosenblatt
None.
