Dietary fat intake and risk of prostate cancer: a prospective study of 25,708 Norwegian men

Abstract

The relationship between incidence of prostate cancer and intake of dietary fat and foods rich in fat was studied in 25,708 men aged 16-56 years attending a Norwegian health screening in 1977-1983. Linkage to the Cancer Registry of Norway and the Central Bureau of Statistics of Norway ensured a complete follow-up until December 31, 1992. Diet was recorded on a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire at the time of screening, and 72 cases of prostate cancer were identified during follow-up. At the end of follow-up, mean age of the total study sample was 56 years (range 19-68), while mean age at diagnosis of prostate cancer was 60 years (range 47-67). No association was found between energy-adjusted intake of total fat, saturated fat, mono-unsaturated fat or poly-unsaturated fat and the incidence of prostate cancer. Significant positive associations were found for body mass index (BMI) and consumption of hamburgers/meatballs, while no association was found with consumption of frankfurters/sausages and a significant negative association with the weekly number of main meals with meat. A significantly increased risk of prostate cancer was associated with skim milk as compared to whole milk. Milk preference (skim vs. whole) was associated significantly positively with BMI. Our study of a relatively young cohort does not confirm previous case-control and cohort studies suggesting that dietary fat, especially from animal sources, is associated positively with risk of prostate cancer.