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Breast Cancer
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my personal edition > breast cancer > news
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DGReview
Breast Cancer Risk Increases with Consumption of Red Meat, Dairy Products
A DGReview of :"Premenopausal fat intake and risk of breast cancer"
Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI)
07/28/2003
By Jill Taylor
The consumption of animal fat found in red meat and high-fat dairy products is linked with an increased risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women, researchers report.
Previous studies have demonstrated that national rates of breast cancer are strongly correlated with per capita total fat consumption, but the relationship is primarily associated with animal fat. Studies have predominantly included postmenopausal women.
Because the aetiologies of pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer differ in several respects, Eunyoung Cho, Sc.D., of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and colleagues evaluated the association of fat intake and risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women.
The research population was derived from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) II, a 1989 study in which 116,671 female registered nurses aged 25 to 42 years responded to a questionnaire concerning their medical histories and lifestyles. From this cohort, the researchers assessed dietary fat intake and breast cancer risk for 90,655 premenopausal women.
Fat intake was assessed with a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline in 1991 and again in 1995. Newly diagnosed breast cancers were identified by biennial questionnaires distributed between 1993 and 1999.
Participants reporting breast cancer were asked for confirmation of the diagnosis and for permission to obtain relevant hospital records and pathology reports. Invasive breast cancer developed in 714 women during the 8-year follow up period.
Statistical analysis showed that total fat intake during premenopausal years was not associated with the risk of breast cancer. However, a significant association was found between animal fat intake and breast cancer risk when relative risks (RRs) were assessed across consumption quintiles (1.00, 1.28, 1.37, 1.54, and 1.33 [95% CI = 1.02 to 1.73; Ptrend = .002]).
Saturated and monounsaturated fat, the major components of animal fat, were related to a slightly increased breast cancer risk. Accordingly, red meat and high-fat dairy products as food groups were also associated with increased risk of breast cancer.
As in previous studies, researchers found that hormone receptor status was statistically relevant. The association between animal fat intake and breast cancer was stronger for women with oestrogen receptor-positive cancers than for women with oestrogen receptor-negative cancers.
"Prevention of coronary heart disease already provides a good reason for choosing a diet low in red meat and dairy fat," the researchers noted. "Because prevention of heart disease is likely to be a low priority for young women, these findings have substantial potential implications in encouraging women to adopt healthy diets and should be evaluated further."
J Natl Cancer Inst 2003 Jul 16;95:14:1079-85.
"Premenopausal fat intake and risk of breast cancer"
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