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No link between dietary fat intake, pancreatic cancer risk
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Patients with a higher rate of dietary fat consumption, including total fat and fat of specific types and sources, were not at elevated risk of developing pancreatic cancer in a recent study.
Researchers evaluated the impact of dietary fat intake on pancreatic cancer risk among 114,416 patients enrolled in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, which evaluated the impact of screening tests on cancer mortality on adults aged 55 to 74 years enrolled between 1993 and 2001. Participants reported the frequency and amount of 124 foods consumed within the prior year via diet history questionnaires administered 3 years after initial enrollment.
Pancreatic cancer developed in 411 of evaluable participants over the course of follow-up (mean 8.4 years). Saturated fat was inversely associated with risk for pancreatic cancer (HR=0.64, 0.46-0.88 for highest vs. lowest quintiles) after adjustment for age, sex, caloric intake, diabetes status, BMI and tobacco use. This association was rendered nonsignificant after the exclusion of 4,406 participants who underwent fewer than 4 years of follow-up (HR=0.88, 0.58-1.33). Investigators noted a similar association between risk and total fat intake (HR=0.76, 0.51-1.15 after exclusion), while no associations were observed between pancreatic cancer risk and consumption of mono- or polyunsaturated fats (95% CI for all).
Consumption of saturated (HR=0.7, 95% CI, 0.52-0.96 for highest vs. lowest intake quintiles) and nonsaturated fats (HR=0.7, 95% CI, 0.51-0.95) from animal sources were associated with reduced risk, as was consumption of polyunsaturated fats from plant sources (P=.034 for trend), though the difference between highest and lowest quintiles for plant-based fats was not significant. Exclusion of patients with fewer than 4 years of follow-up also rendered these associations nonsignificant.
“Our findings do not support a positive association between dietary fat intake and risk of pancreatic cancer,” the researchers concluded. “… Our results highlight the need to carefully examine possible reverse causation in studies of diet and pancreatic malignancy and the importance of basing conclusions on a body of evidence from studies with longer-term follow-up.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.
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