Preschool diet linked to later breast cancer risk

Michelle Rizzo, "Preschool diet linked to later breast cancer risk",
Reuters UK, March 27, 2006,
Link:
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/news...OL-DIET-DC.XML

The diet of preschoolers may influence the risk of breast cancer during
adulthood, according to a Boston-based group of investigators.

Dr. Karin B. Michels, of Harvard Medical School, and her associates
conducted a study that included 582 breast cancer patients plus a
comparison group of 1,569 healthy "controls," who were enrolled in the
Nurses' Health Study and the Nurses' Health Study II.

The researchers used a 30-item food frequency questionnaire to obtain
early diet information from the mothers of the nurses when they were 3
to 5 years old. The findings are published in the February issue of the
International Journal of Cancer.

Women who frequently consumed French fries at preschool age had an
increased risk of breast cancer. The increased risk of breast cancer
for one additional serving of French fries per week was 27 percent.
Consumption of whole milk was linked to a slightly decreased breast
cancer risk -- for each additional glass of whole milk per day, the
risk decreased by 10 percent. No association was found between nutrient
levels and the risk of breast cancer.

"For us breast cancer researchers this indicates that we are on the
right track to research earlier periods of a woman's life than we
previously have done in the search for breast cancer risk factors,"
Michels told Reuters Health. "It seems that childhood diet may be
important and maybe even more important than an adult woman's diet with
respect to later life risk of breast cancer."

However, Michels cautioned against over-interpreting the results.
"First of all, we would like to see these findings confirmed in other
studies," she said. "Secondly, this was a case-control study and the
mothers of the nurses knew whether their daughters had developed breast
cancer or not, which may or may not have influenced their reporting,
but we must not lose sight of this fact."

SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, February 2006.

These studies can, at best, be said to be preliminary. They are fraught with
difficulties, including recall bias, poor recall after 40 or more years, and
the fact that eating French fries may be just be a marker for other things.
There are plenty of good reasons to decrease the eating of French fries.
This study is not one of them.

Jeff

"Roman Bystrianyk" wrote in message
oups.com...
Michelle Rizzo, "Preschool diet linked to later breast cancer risk",
Reuters UK, March 27, 2006,
Link:
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/news...OL-DIET-DC.XML

The diet of preschoolers may influence the risk of breast cancer during
adulthood, according to a Boston-based group of investigators.

Dr. Karin B. Michels, of Harvard Medical School, and her associates
conducted a study that included 582 breast cancer patients plus a
comparison group of 1,569 healthy "controls," who were enrolled in the
Nurses' Health Study and the Nurses' Health Study II.

The researchers used a 30-item food frequency questionnaire to obtain
early diet information from the mothers of the nurses when they were 3
to 5 years old. The findings are published in the February issue of the
International Journal of Cancer.

Women who frequently consumed French fries at preschool age had an
increased risk of breast cancer. The increased risk of breast cancer
for one additional serving of French fries per week was 27 percent.
Consumption of whole milk was linked to a slightly decreased breast
cancer risk -- for each additional glass of whole milk per day, the
risk decreased by 10 percent. No association was found between nutrient
levels and the risk of breast cancer.

"For us breast cancer researchers this indicates that we are on the
right track to research earlier periods of a woman's life than we
previously have done in the search for breast cancer risk factors,"
Michels told Reuters Health. "It seems that childhood diet may be
important and maybe even more important than an adult woman's diet with
respect to later life risk of breast cancer."

However, Michels cautioned against over-interpreting the results.
"First of all, we would like to see these findings confirmed in other
studies," she said. "Secondly, this was a case-control study and the
mothers of the nurses knew whether their daughters had developed breast
cancer or not, which may or may not have influenced their reporting,
but we must not lose sight of this fact."

SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, February 2006.