ATTRIBUTABLE RISK OF BREAST, PROSTATE, AND LUNG-CANCER IN HAWAII DUE TO SATURATED FAT

The dietary data from case-control studies of breast, prostate, and lung cancer in Hawaii revealed that saturated fat was a risk factor for these malignancies. The dietary intakes from the three studies were used to calculate the attributable risk (AR) due to saturated fat. For all ethnic groups combined, the ARs for the highest quartiles of intake were 14.9 percent for female breast cancer, 13.0 percent for prostate cancer, and 23.1 percent for male lung cancer. Our results suggested that a reduction of saturated fat to the lowest quartiles of intake could result in a 10 to 20 percent decrease in risk for these three cancers in Hawaii. We also examined the ethnic-specific risks associated with saturated fat consumption among the Japanese and the Caucasians in the three studies. The ARs for the highest quartiles of intake were notably higher among the Caucasians than the Japanese, primarily due to the difference in their dietary patterns. Although the calculated AR due to saturated fat was higher among the Caucasians than among the Japanese, all persons in the population would derive considerable benefit by reducing their intake of this nutrient.