ARTICLE Premenopausal Breast Cancer Risk and Intake of Vegetables, Fruits, and Related Nutrients

Background: Given the international variations in breast cancer incidence rates and the changes in breast cancer in-cidence among migrant populations, it has been hy-pothesized that diet is a factor influencing risk of this disease. Many studies indicate that a diet high in vegetables and fruits may protect against breast cancer. Purpose: We conducted a case-control study of diet, including the intake of non-food supplements, and premenopausal breast cancer risk. We evaluated in detail usual intake of vegetables and fruits (each measured as the total reported grams consumed for all queried vegetables and fruit), vitamins C and E, folic acid, individual carotenoids, and dietary fiber with its com-ponents. Methods: Case patients (n = 297) were identified through pathology records from hospitals in Erie and Niagara counties in western New York. They consisted of premenopausal women 40 years of age or older who were diagnosed with breast cancer from November 1986 through April 1991. Control subjects (n = 311), frequency-matched to case patients on the basis of age and county of residence, were randomly selected from New York State Department of Motor Vehicles records. In-person interviews included detailed reports of usual diet in the period 2 years before the interview. Unconditional logistic regression was used to es-timate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Results: There was a reduction in risk associated with high intake of several nutrients. With the lowest quartile of intake as the referent, adjusted ORs for the highest quartile of intake for specific nutrients were as follows: vitamin