Trans-Fatty Acid Levels in Blood Associated with Risk of Prostate Tumor

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Trans-Fatty Acid Levels in Blood May be Positively Associated with

Risk of Non-Aggressive Prostate Tumor

From Clinical Pearls

http://www.vitasearch.com/

Avoid transfats!

A prospective study of trans-fatty acid levels in blood and risk of

prostate cancer, Chavarro JE, Ma J, et al, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers

Prev, 2008; 17(1): 95-101.

In a prospective, nested, case-control study involving 14,916

apparently healthy men, results indicate that higher blood levels of

trans isomers of oleic and linoleic acids may be associated with an

increased risk of non-aggressive prostate tumors. During 13 years of

follow-up, 476 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Using

conditional logistic regression, no association was found between

blood levels of all the trans-fatty acids and total prostate cancer

risk. However, blood levels of trans oleic acid (18: 1n-9t), trans

linoleic acid (18:2t), and total trans-fatty acids were positively

associated with the risk of non-aggressive prostate tumors (highest

quintiles associated with nearly double+ the risk, compared with the

lowest quintiles). No association was found between blood levels of

trans-fatty acids and risk of aggressive prostate tumors. Thus, the

authors of this study conclude, " Blood levels of trans isomers of

oleic and l inoleic acids are associated with an increased risk of

nonaggressive prostate tumors. As this type of tumor represents a

large proportion of prostate cancer detected using prostate-specific

antigen screening, these findings may have implications for the

prevention of prostate cancer. "