Prospective study of association between dietary fat intake and mortality among patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer

Prostate cancer survivors have a need for evidence-based lifestyle recommendations that could improve survivorship. A prospective study, nested in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, assessed whether consumption of specific dietary fats after diagnosis is associated with long-term survival among patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer. A total of 4884 patients provided data on their consumption patterns through validated food frequency questionnaires every four years. During a median follow-up of 12.8 years (IQR 8.1-16.8), 3040 deaths from any cause were confirmed. When comparing the highest quintile of saturated fat intake with those in the lowest quintile, higher postdiagnostic saturated fat intake was associated with greater all-cause (HR 1.24; 95% CI 1.05-1.47), cardiovascular (1.42; 1.02-1.98), and other cancer mortality (1.42; 0.93-2.17). Intake of animal fat, a major source of saturated fats, was also positively associated with all-cause mortality and deaths from other cancers. Replacing 10% of calories from animal fats with plant-based facts (HR 0.84; 95% CI 0.76-0.93) and replacing 5% of calories from saturated fats with monounsaturated fats (0.80; 0.70-0.91) was associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality. There were no associations between dietary fats and prostate cancer mortality. The authors conclude that these results suggest that replacing intake of animal fats with plant-based fats or saturated with monounsaturated fats may improve survival among patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer.