title: Tissue antioxidants and postmenopausal breast cancer: the European Community Multicentre Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Cancer of the Breast (EURAMIC).
abstract: Antioxidants may protect against free radical mediated carcinogenesis. Epidemiological studies have not confirmed this hypothesis for breast cancer, possibly because of methodological limitations. Time-integrated exposure of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene in adipose tissue, and selenium in toenails was investigated in a case-control study among postmenopausal women, ages 50-74 years, from five European countries. The study group comprised 347 incident breast cancer cases and 374 controls. Mean antioxidant levels, adjusted for age and center, did not significantly differ for alpha-tocopherol (cases were 4.5% higher than controls), beta-carotene (3.0% lower), or selenium (1.8% lower). Odds ratios for highest versus lowest tertiles of exposure, adjusted for potential confounders, were 1.15 (95% confidence interval, 0.75-1.77), 0.74 (0.45-1.23), and 0.96 (0.63-1.47), respectively, without evidence for a decreasing trend. No statistically significant interactions were observed. Moreover, a provisional antioxidant score, indicating whether concentrations were above the median for zero, one, two, or all three antioxidants, yielded odds ratios of 1.00 (reference; all below median), 1.58, 1.58, and 1.21, respectively (chi2 for association = 4.00; P = 0.26). These results do not support the hypothesis that antioxidants are important determinants of this hormone-related malignancy among postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Zeist, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van 't Veer
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Strain
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Crehuet
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thamm
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Kardinaal
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kohlmeier
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Huttunen
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martin-Moreno
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Kok
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005609:Free Radicals; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009262:Nails / Q000378:metabolism; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012016:Reference Values; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000378:metabolism; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005609:Free Radicals; D019207:beta Carotene; D014810:Vitamin E; D012643:Selenium