Fat intake in Javanese breast cancer patients: Any difference?

Background: Breast cancer is the second most prevalent women’s malignancy in Central Java. The risk of breast cancer incidence drops by 2.5 times for breast cancer if fat consumption is reduced by 50%, although not all types of fat intake increase the risk of breast cancer incidence. Fat consumption in Indonesia increased by 11% in the last 7 years. The study aims to analyze the differences in fat intake between breast cancer subjects and healthy subjects. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. We invited 45 outpatients diagnosed with breast cancer in Kariadi Hospital from January to August 2019 as well as 45 healthy subjects who are relatives or friends of the patients who met the inclusion criteria to participate in this study. Various types of fat intake were measured with quantitative food frequency questionnaires. The statistical analysis employed a chi-square test and Mann-Whitney test for non-parametric tests and an independent t-test for parametric data. Results: There was a significant difference in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake between breast cancer patients and healthy subjects (p=0.022). This study found no significant differences in total fat intake (p=0.677), saturated fatty acid (SFA) (p=0.368), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) (p=0.593), omega 3 (p=0.095), omega 6 (p=0.092), and TFA (p=0.669) between breast cancer patients and healthy subjects. Conclusion: There is a significant difference in PUFA intake, but not in the other types of fat between breast cancer patients and healthy subjects. For further study, more precise and objective fat intake measurements may be achieved in studies with animal models.