Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center examined the association between intake of deep-fried food and risk of prostate cancer. They analyzed data from two prior population-based case-control studies involving a total of 1,549 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and 1,492 age-matched healthy controls. The men were Caucasian and black Seattle-area residents and ranged in age from 35 to 74 years. Participants were asked to fill out a dietary questionnaire about their usual food intake, including specific deep-fried foods.
They found men who ate one or more of deep fried foods at least weekly had an increased risk of prostate cancer that ranged from 30% to 37%. Weekly consumption of the foods also was associated with a slightly greater risk of more aggressive prostate cancer. The researchers controlled for factors such as age, race, family history of prostate cancer, body-mass index and PSA screening history when calculating the association between eating deep-fried foods and prostate cancer risk.
“The link between prostate cancer and select deep-fried foods appeared to be limited to the highest level of consumption—defined in our study as more than once a week—which suggests that regular consumption of deep-fried foods confers particular risk for developing prostate cancer," said corresponding author Janet L. Stanford, Ph.D.
The researchers said possible mechanisms behind the increased cancer risk include the fact that when oil is heated to temperatures suitable for deep frying, potentially carcinogenic compounds can form in the fried food. They include acrylamide, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aldehyde and acrolein. These toxic compounds are increased with reuse of oil and increased length of frying time.
Foods cooked with high heat also contain high levels of advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs, which have been associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Deep-fried foods are among the highest in AGE content.
