A new study published in the April 9 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that high intake of total and saturated fat is associated with estrogen receptor-positive and progesterone receptor-positive (ER+PR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) There is an association with higher risk of breast cancer disease. Published data from epidemiological and case-control studies on the association between high fat intake and breast cancer risk have been conflicting, possibly because of the many difficulties in obtaining accurate information on fat intake and possibly due to the limited heterogeneity of intake within the specific geographic areas in which these participating cohorts live. In addition, breast cancer is nowadays clinically classified into several subtypes according to the expression status of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), each with its own prognosis and set of risk factors, which may also contribute to the inconsistency of the published reports addressing this association. Sabina Sieri, PhD, of the Epidemiology and Prevention Group, Department of Preventive and Predictive Medicine, IRCCS Foundation, National Cancer Research Center, Milan, Italy, and colleagues prospectively analyzed data from 10,062 breast cancer patients followed for 11.5 years in the EPIC study. the EPIC cohort consisted of 337,327 women living in 10 European countries, in terms of geographically relevant This is a heterogeneous cohort in terms of dietary fat intake patterns and molecular subtypes. To correct for measurement error in this dietary questionnaire data, the researchers calibrated the intake data with a standardized 24-hour dietary recall interview that was conducted on a random sample of 8% of this cohort.Cox proportional risk modeling incorporated various known risk factors as covariates. This group of authors reported that high intake of total and saturated fat was associated with an increased risk of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and progesterone receptor-positive (PR+) breast cancer (BC). High saturated fat intake was also associated with an increased risk of human epithelial growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) disease. The authors concluded that “a high-fat diet increases breast cancer risk and, most significantly, high saturated fat intake increases the risk of receptor-positive disease, suggesting that saturated fat is associated with the etiology of receptor-positive breast cancer.”