DIETARY fat intake after diagnosis was associated with long-term survival among patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer, with higher saturated fat consumption linked to greater all-cause mortality and plant-based and monounsaturated fats associated with lower mortality.
The cohort study included 4,884 patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Participants had a mean age of 69.5 years at diagnosis and were followed for a median of 12.8 years through December 2022.
Dietary intake was assessed every four years using validated food frequency questionnaires. Researchers estimated consumption of saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, trans, plant, and animal fats after prostate cancer diagnosis and examined associations with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality.
During follow-up, 3,040 deaths from any cause were confirmed. Patients in the highest quintile of saturated fat intake had higher all-cause mortality than those in the lowest quintile (hazard ratio: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.05–1.47).
Higher saturated fat intake was also associated with cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.02–1.98) and other cancer mortality (hazard ratio: 1.42; 95% CI: 0.93–2.17). Animal fat, a major source of saturated fat, was positively associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.97–1.33) and deaths from other cancers (hazard ratio: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.00–2.21).
No association was observed between dietary fat intake and prostate cancer mortality.
Nutrient-density modelling indicated that replacing 10% of calories from animal fats with plant-based fats was associated with lower all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.76–0.93).
Similarly, replacing 5% of calories from saturated fats with monounsaturated fats was associated with reduced all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.70–0.91).
The findings suggest that dietary fat composition may be relevant to survivorship among patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer. Diets richer in plant-based, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats were associated with improved survival outcomes, supporting evidence-based dietary discussions between patients and clinicians following diagnosis.
Reference
Zhang Y et al. Dietary fat intake and mortality among patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9;(9):e2630693.
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