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Meta-analyses of dietary fats and mammary neoplasms in rodent experiments

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Abstract

We review two meta-analyses of experiments on dietary fat and mammary tumor incidence in rodents, emphasizing a recent meta-analysis on the effects of different types of dietary fatty acids. This analysis shows that n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids most strongly enhance mammary tumors in rodents, and saturated fats also enhance these tumors but less strongly. Further, the analysis shows that energy restriction protects against mammary tumors. We show that these results agree qualitatively with estimates of effects on human breast cancer derived from international correlations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biometry Branch, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Michael P. Fay & Laurence S. Freedman

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  1. Michael P. Fay
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  2. Laurence S. Freedman
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Fay, M.P., Freedman, L.S. Meta-analyses of dietary fats and mammary neoplasms in rodent experiments. Breast Cancer Res Treat 46, 215–223 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005927503865

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