'Fatty diet heightens breast cancer risk'

Women whose diets contain high levels of fat are at risk of developing invasive breast cancer, a US study has found.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported that of 188,736 postmenopausal women who gave detailed information on their diet in the mid-1990s, 3,501 have gone on to develop breast cancer.

Researchers used a questionnaire based on a 24-hour period which showed that women who got 40 per cent of their calories from fat had a 32 per cent increased risk of breast cancer.

The result was the same for all types of fat - saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated - and appeared to affect women not using HRT at the start of the study.

Meanwhile, Harvard School of Public Health researchers in Boston believe that controlling body fat, rather than fat intake itself, would be more effective in preventing breast cancer.

Meanwhile, a major European study found women with raised levels of blood sugar are more at risk of developing cancers of the pancreas, skin, womb, and urinary tract.

Women in the top 25 per cent range of blood sugar readings after fasting had a 26 per cent higher chance of developing cancer than those in the bottom quarter bracket.

For women under the age of 49, there was an increased breast cancer risk associated with elevated fasting blood sugar levels, even if they were not diabetic.

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