A Prospective Study of Association of Monounsaturated Fat and Other Types of Fat With Risk of Breast Cancer

Abstract
STUDIES IN animals suggest that monounsaturated fatty acids may reduce mammary tumor incidence1,2 while diets rich in polyunsaturated linoleic acid (18:2, n=6) may increase the incidence and likelihood of metastasis of mammary tumors.3-5 A majority of analytical epidemiological studies6-13 and meta-analyses14,15 have shown that intake of total fat in adult life has little if any effect on risk of breast cancer. However, mutual adjustment between types of fat has not been regularly attempted in the evaluation of the effects, if any, of specific types of fat. This is an important issue, since types of fat tend to be positively and strongly correlated.