We all love the taste of a juicy, fatty hamburger, but could eating too much take a toll on your health? While it’s obvious that eating too many fatty foods can lead to a bigger waistline, new research from the Fondazione IRCCS National Cancer Institute in Italy says doing so now can lead to a more serious health problem: Breast cancer.
Reporting from Milan, Italy, lead author Sabina Sieri says her findings show eating a high-fat diet–especially one high in saturated fat–could lead to a higher risk of breast cancer later in life.
“In our study we confirm that saturated fat intake was positively associated with breast cancer risk,” says Sieri. “Saturated fatty acids intake should be as low as possible within the context of a nutritionally adequate diet.”
In the study, which analyzed nearly 337,000 European women and their dietary habits over a period of 12 years, Sieri wanted to see if a high fat diet could impact their risk of breast cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer death among women in Europe. As she looked through the research, she found that around 10,000 women developed breast cancer during the study–and although their diets varied, there seemed to be one common statistic.
Unfortunately, that statistic was that most of them opted for a diet high in saturated fat–something health organizations recommend keeping to a minimum.
“This research is impressive because it recognizes that breast cancer is not a single disease, and previous studies [of saturated fat] have overlooked that,” says Dr. Kim M. Hirshfield, a medical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. “Although the study indicates that as more saturated fat is consumed, the risk of breast cancer steadily rises, further studies are needed to determine the amount of saturated fat women can safely consume as part of a healthy daily diet.”
In turn, Sieri ran a second analysis looking at specific subtypes of breast cancer to see if saturated fat increased or decreased certain tumors–something researchers hadn’t examined before. As it turned out, there was another connection: Those who ate a diet high in saturated fat were 28 percent more likely to develop bad tumors.
Those who kept their saturated fat intake relatively low, however, were less likely to face such a diagnosis, however.
“For optimal breast health, and for overall health benefits in general, it is recommended that women consume saturated-fat calories closer to the lower end of the spectrum in the study, which is around 15 grams a day,” says Hirshfield.
What You Should Do
Struggling to keep your saturated fat intake low? Try this: Switch out processed foods for home made meals instead. Processed foods are the biggest sources of saturated fat in most people’s diets; cooking these foods at home allows you to control the amount of fat used. Additionally, switching out regular oil for oils containing monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, is a great way to cut out the bad fats without sacrificing flavor.
Readers: What are some other ways you keep your saturated fat intake low in your diet?
Sources:
Study: High Fat Diet Increases Risk of Breast Cancer Tumors in Women – OxfordJournals.org
High Fat Diet Increases Breast Cancer Risk – FoxNews.com
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