High-fat dairy food and conjugated linoleic acid intakes in relation to colorectal cancer incidence in the Swedish Mammography Cohort.
BACKGROUND
High-fat dairy foods contain many potentially anticarcinogenic factors, including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). However, few epidemiologic studies have specifically evaluated high-fat dairy food consumption, and none have evaluated CLA intake, in relation to colorectal cancer risk.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the associations of long-term high-fat dairy food consumption and CLA intake and the incidence of colorectal cancer.


METHODS
Our study population consisted of 60 708 women aged 40-76 y who participated in the Swedish Mammography Cohort. The women's consumption of high-fat dairy foods was assessed at baseline, which was from 1987 to 1990, and again in 1997.


RESULTS
We ascertained 798 incident cases of colorectal cancer during an average 14.8 y of follow-up. After adjustment for age and other potential confounders, the women who consumed > or =4 servings of high-fat dairy foods/d (including whole milk, full-fat cultured milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, and butter) had a multivariate rate ratio of colorectal cancer of 0.59 (95% CI: 0.44, 0.79; P for trend = 0.002) when compared with the women who consumed <1 serving/d. Each increment of 2 servings of high-fat dairy foods/d corresponded to a 13% reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer (multivariate rate ratio: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.96). For CLA, the multivariate rate ratio of colorectal cancer in a comparison of the 2 extreme quartiles of intake was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.91; P for trend = 0.004).


CONCLUSIONS
These prospective data suggest that high intakes of high-fat dairy foods and CLA may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
Larsson
Susanna C
SC
Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, the National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. susanna.larsson@imm.ki.se
Bergkvist
Leif
L
Wolk
Alicja
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003611:Dairy Products; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D044243:Linoleic Acids, Conjugated / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D004041:Dietary Fats; D044243:Linoleic Acids, Conjugated