Study Links Saturated Fat To Prostate Cancer

A diet high in saturated fat has a direct role in the cause of prostate cancer, according to a new study.

The research, to be published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, compared the diet and physical activity of 1,655 prostate cancer patients with that of 1,645 men who did not have the disease.

Included in the study groups were black, white, Chinese-American and Japanese-American men. Black American men have a very high risk of prostate cancer and white American men have a high risk, while Asian-Americans have a low risk.

Fat consumption was highest among blacks, followed by white men, the Japanese-Americans and the Chinese-Americans.

“Within each of the four ethnic groups, case patients (those with cancer) reported greater consumption of energy, fats and red meats than did control subjects (those without cancer),” the study said.