Diet in the epidemiology of postmenopausal breast cancer in the New York State Cohort.
A number of authors have presented evidence that high dietary fat increases the risk of breast cancer, and a number have presented evidence to the contrary. In this study, dietary histories were obtained in 1980 from 18,586 postmenopausal women in New York State. These women were followed through 1987 to ascertain their incidence of breast cancer and other cancers and deaths from all causes, as registered in the New York State Tumor Registry and Office of Vital Statistics. Survival analysis revealed that the incidence of breast cancer increased with age, was higher among the nulliparous, was higher for those with a late (> 26 years) age at first pregnancy, and increased with increasing socioeconomic status--all risk factors discovered before for breast cancer. No increase in risk was related to the ingested amount of calories, vitamins A, C, or E, dietary fiber, or fat. Although dietary fat has been found to be associated with higher risk of cancer at a number of other sites, e.g., the lung, colon, and rectum, and although some previous writers have suggested an association with risk of breast cancer, the findings in three cohort studies as well as in eight substantial case-control studies are negative and suggest that a relation is far from established.
Graham
S
S
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, State University of New York 14214.
Zielezny
M
M
Marshall
J
J
Priore
R
R
Freudenheim
J
J
Brasure
J
J
Haughey
B
B
Nasca
P
P
Zdeb
M
M
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000032:analysis; D004522:Educational Status; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008423:Maternal Age; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D010298:Parity; D012042:Registries; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014815:Vitamins / Q000032:analysis
D004041:Dietary Fats; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D014815:Vitamins