Trans-fats linked to breast cancer

Apr 14 2008

According to French scientists 'trans-fats' may increase a woman's risk of breast cancer.

Trans fats are currently being phased out of food in many countries because they clog arteries and increase the risk of heart disease.

Scientists at the national scientific research center at the University of Paris in France, discovered the link between trans-fats and breast cancer after carrying out a study of women taking part in a large European cancer trial.

The team found that women with the highest blood levels of trans-fats had about twice the risk of breast cancer compared to women with the lowest levels.

Dr. Veronique Chajes says at this stage, they can only recommend limiting the consumption of processed foods, which is the main source of industrially produced trans-fatty acid.

Trans-fatty acids or trans-fats are produced by creating artificially hardened fats as in partial hydrogenization processes and were originally intended to be healthier substitutes for saturated fats such as butter and lard.

They are widely used in processed foods to give food texture, added flavour and a long shelf life.

New York and California have banned trans-fats in restaurant foods and Canada and Britain are considering following suit; many food companies have eliminated them from their products.

Dr. Chajes and her team examined blood samples collected between 1995 and 1998 from 25,000 women who had volunteered to report on their eating and lifestyle habits and then be tracked for years to see if they developed cancer.

They then studied 363 of the women who were later diagnosed with breast cancer and compared their blood levels of fatty acids with those of women without cancer.

They discovered that the higher the levels of trans-fatty acids, the more likely a woman was to have cancer; these women were in fact twice as likely to develop breast cancer than those with the lowest levels.

Chajes and colleagues also found that women with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, being studied for their potential benefits to health, were not any less likely to have breast cancer.

It is thought Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammation properties and may offer protection from cardiovascular disease.

The researchers also found that obese women were more likely to develop breast cancer, among other types of cancer, and high-fat diets were also linked with breast cancer.

Trans-fats are present in cooking fats, baked goods, snacks and a range of other prepared foods; Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as salmon, walnuts and leafy green vegetables.

Many experts believe that there is no safe level for trans fat and consumption of any amount may have a detrimental effect on the health.

Other research has indicated that trans fats are worse than saturated fat as they increase not only bad cholesterol, but also reduce good cholesterol in the blood; scientists in the States believe as many as 100,000 deaths a year can be blamed on the consumption of trans fats.

The research is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.