[IPR]

I am sure most of you already know this but thought worth posting anyway, it has been shown by a Penn State study (still trying to find the Abstract) and others that a diet low in fat lowers test levels.

Probably no real surprise to many, but more importantly, a diet with a high polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio results in low test, both monounstaurated and saturated have been shown to raise test levels.

Now this doesn't mean going on a high fat diet will continue raising test levels (although it might to a degree), but what I wanted to point out is that people who think replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated or getting most of their fat from polyunsaturated sources, are not only putting themselves at higher risk cancer but also lowering their test levels.

A couple of studies I found off the bat

Relationships between types of fat consumed and serum estrogen and androgen concentrations in Japanese men.

Nagata C, Takatsuka N, Kawakami N, Shimizu H.

Department of Public Health, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.

The relationships between types of fat consumed and serum concentrations of estrone, estradiol, total and free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin were examined in 69 Japanese men aged 43-88 years. Diet was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Intake of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats was inversely correlated with serum total testosterone after controlling for age, total energy, body mass index, alcohol intake, and smoking status, but the correlation was statistically significant only for polyunsaturated fat (r = -0.29, p = 0.02). Intakes of eicosapentanoic and docosahexaenoic acids, n-3 fatty acids from fish, were significantly inversely correlated with total testosterone (r = -0.25, p = 0.04 and r = -0.32, p = 0.01, respectively). Serum estrone, estradiol, and free testosterone were not significantly correlated with any type of fat studied. The correlations of total testosterone with n-3 fatty acids from fish remained significant after additional adjustment for the other categories of fat (r = -0.27, p = 0. 03 for eicosapentanoic acid and r = -0.32, p = 0.01 for docosahexaenoic acid), while the correlations with saturated and monounsaturated fats became nearly null after the adjustment.

Unfortunately it doesn't mention the effect directly on free test.

The part I highlighted in blue suggests you don't overdo the EFA's.

The "saturated fat is bad" and "polyunsaturated fat is good" issue is one of my pet hates.......

[Kruger]

HIGH FAT DIETS/PROSTATE CANCER
High fat diets increase the level of testosterone, a male hormone. Prostate cancer is more common in men with high testosterone levels. Men in the study group who consumed a high- fat, low-fiber diet had testosterone levels 13 to 15 percent higher than those who consumed a low-fat, high-fiber diet. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64:850-5, 1996)

[Matthew D]

I wonder if the incidents of prostate cancer in high testosterone is an incental or is testosterone the cause of it. What I am thinking is that the study groups might confinded to older guys that already have an increased risk of prostate cancer due to age and exposure to other cancer causing agents in the environment. Just a couple of thoughts

[Kruger]

There are a million studies on that. Good luck sifting through it!

[Matthew D]

LOL.. I know I already started... lot of stuff.

[IHateGymMorons]

the only problem with many of those studies that try to tell you how bad fat is, is that they don't tell you how many or what kinds of carbohydrates were also included in the subjects diet. Fat eaten in absence of high GI carbs, or carbs all together, act very differently in the body than fats and carbs mixed. I once ate six 7oz hamburgers without buns over a 60minute period, and felt great all day long, I guarantee if I would've even eaten 3-4 hamburgers WITH the buns and maybe added a few fries with that to get to an equal caloric value I would've felt WAAAAY different. For some reason I also got a great pump out of it too - it lasted for all the way till the next day.

[IPR]

Originally posted by Bobo
HIGH FAT DIETS/PROSTATE CANCER
High fat diets increase the level of testosterone, a male hormone. Prostate cancer is more common in men with high testosterone levels. Men in the study group who consumed a high- fat, low-fiber diet had testosterone levels 13 to 15 percent higher than those who consumed a low-fat, high-fiber diet. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64:850-5, 1996)

Yea, read this before. I will try to dig some stuff up, but like Matthew D says, is this causation by association or the real cause?

Without studies to back this up, a simplist view would be that a diet which is approx 1:2:1 staurated : monounsaturated : polyunsaturated is what our evolutionary brothers would have eaten. The higher testosterone as a result of this relative to the low-fat diet would seem natural and hence unlikely to cause increased prostate cancer.

I believe many of these studies regarding high fat don't necessarily remove Trans fats which could be the main cause.

[IHateGymMorons]

very true - lets not forget about the dangers of the everly increasing trans fats in most diets.