Positive Health Online

Abstract

FRAZIER and others, Division of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, USA. lindsay.frazier@channing.harvard.edu, have related adolescent diet to risk of breast cancer.

Background

The aim of the study was to investigate the components of adolescent diet that may influence risk of breast cancer as adults.

Methodology

In this retrospective cohort study, 47,355 participants in the Nurses Health Study II answered a 131-item food frequency questionnaire about diet during high school. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate relative risks and 95% confidence intervals among incident cases of breast cancer between 1989 (when high school diet was assessed) and 1998 (inception of the study).

Results

Multivariate analysis showed that the intakes of fat and fibre were not significantly related to the risk of breast cancer. However, increased intake of vegetable fat and vitamin E were associated with a lower risk (relative risks for highest compared to lowest quintiles 0.58 and 0.61, respectively) of breast cancer. A higher dietary glycaemic index was associated with an elevated risk for breast cancer (relative risk 1.47).

Conclusion

The apparent protective effects of vegetable fat and vitamin E against breast cancer, and the apparent adverse effect of a diet high in gkycaemic foods need testing in prospective studies.

References

Frazier AL, Li L, Cho E, Willett WC, Colditz GA. Adolescent diet and risk of breast cancer. Cancer Causes & Control. 15(1): 73-82, Feb 2004.