Energy intake and dietary patterns in childhood and throughout adulthood and mammographic density: results from a British prospective cohort.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the role of energy intake and dietary patterns in childhood and throughout adulthood on subsequent mammographic density.


METHODS
Prospective data were available from a cohort of 1161 British women followed up since their birth in 1946. Dietary intakes at age 4 years were determined by 24-hour recalls and during adulthood, average food consumed at ages 36 and 43 years by 5-day food records. Dietary patterns were determined by factor analysis. Associations between energy intake, dietary patterns, and percent breast density were investigated using regression analysis.


RESULTS
During adulthood, energy intake was positively associated with percent breast density (adjusted regression coefficient [per SD) (95% CI): 0.12 (0.01, 0.23)]. The effect of the high fat and sugar dietary pattern remained similar when adjusted for total energy intake [0.06 (-0.01, 0.13)]. There was no evidence of an associations for the patterns low fat, high fiber pattern 0.03 (-0.04, 0.11); the alcohol and fish -0.02 (-0.13, 0.17); meat, potatoes, and vegetables -0.03 (-0.10, 0.04). No association was found for dietary pattern at age 4 and percent breast density.


CONCLUSIONS
This study supports the hypothesis that overall energy intake during middle life is a determinant of subsequent mammographic breast density measured 15 years later.
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK. g.mishra@nshd.mrc.ac.uk
Gita D
GD
Mishra
Isabel
I
dos Santos Silva
Sarah A
SA
McNaughton
Alison
A
Stephen
Diana
D
Kuh
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001940:Breast / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D002452:Cell Count; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011446:Prospective Studies; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology