Research article

Adolescent diet and risk of breast cancer

A Lindsay Frazier^1,2 , Catherine Tomeo Ryan², Helaine Rockett², Walter C Willett^2,3,4 and Graham A Colditz^2,4

¹  Division of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

²  Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

³  Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

⁴  Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

author email corresponding author email

Breast Cancer Res 2003, 5:R59-R64doi:10.1186/bcr583

Published:	21 February 2003

Abstract

Background

Early life exposures, including diet, have been implicated in the etiology of breast cancer.

Methods

A nested case-control study was conducted among participants in the Nurses' Health Study who completed a 24-item questionnaire about diet during high school. There were 843 eligible cases diagnosed between onset of study (1976) and before the return of the high school diet questionnaire (1986), who were matched 10:1 with controls on the basis of age.

Results

Women who had, during adolescence, a higher consumption of eggs, vegetable fat and fiber had a lower risk of breast cancer, whereas risk of breast cancer was increased among women who consumed more butter.

Conclusions

A possible association of elements of adolescent diet with risk of breast cancer is reported, but the findings require confirmation in prospective study.