title: Dairy, calcium, vitamin D and ovarian cancer risk in African-American women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No previous study has evaluated the associations of dairy products, lactose, calcium and vitamin D with the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women, who are known to have high mortality from the disease, as well as to be at risk for calcium and vitamin D deficiency.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated these associations among 490 ovarian cancer cases and 656 age- and site-matched controls of African-American descent recruited into the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study, a population-based case-control study in 11 geographical areas in the US. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  An increased ovarian cancer risk was observed for whole milk consumption and lactose intake (highest quartile vs lowest: OR=1.97, 95% CI: 1.25-3.10;P-trend: 0.008). Calcium intake was associated with a decreased risk of ovarian cancer (OR=0.51, 95 CI%: 0.30-0.86; P-trend: 0.009), but vitamin D intake was not. Longer sun exposure in summer months was found to predict a lower risk (OR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.51-0.99; P-trend: 0.049).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that a high-calcium, low-lactose diet, and sun exposure in summer months may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women.
authors.affiliation: Population Science, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Moorman
authors.affiliation: Hollings Cancer Center and Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Alberg
authors.affiliation: Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Jill S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Barnholtz-Sloan
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bondy
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Population Studies and Disparities Research Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
authors.forename: Michele L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cote
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Funkhouser
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Program, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Public Health, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Edward S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Population Studies and Disparities Research Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
authors.forename: Ann G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Departments of Public Health and Surgery, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
authors.forename: Joellen M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schildkraut
authors.affiliation: Population Science, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA.
authors.forename: Elisa V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Bandera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003611:Dairy Products / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D014807:Vitamin D