According to a study, high intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy products is associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. This study was undertaken because research relating fat intake to pancreatic cancer was inconclusive.

An estimated 42,470 new cases of pancreatic cancer are expected to occur in the US in 2009.  An estimated 35,240 deaths are expected to occur in 2009. The death rate for pancreatic cancer has been stable since 2003 in men, but has been increasing by 0.1% per year since 1984 in women.

Cancer of the pancreas often develops without early symptoms. Symptoms may include weight loss, discomfort in the abdomen, and occasionally glucose intolerance (high blood glucose levels).

To examine the association, Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon and colleagues analyzed a cohort of over 500,000 people from the National Institutes of Health – AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire in 1995 and 1996 and were followed prospectively for an average of 6 years to track a variety of health outcomes, including pancreatic cancer.

Men and women who consumed high amounts of total fats had 53% and 23% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer, respectively, compared with men and women who had the lowest fat consumption. Participants who consumed high amounts of saturated fats had 36% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer compared with those who consumed low amounts.

"We observed positive associations between pancreatic cancer and intakes of total, saturated, and monounsaturated fat overall, particularly from red meat and dairy food sources. We did not observe any consistent association with fat from plant food sources," the authors write. "Altogether, these results suggest a role for animal fat in pancreatic carcinogenesis."

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References:
1. Theibaut et al. Dietary Fatty Acids and Pancreatic Cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009, 101: 1001-1011.
2. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2009. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2009.

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