Relationship of diet and anthropometric measurements to breast cancer in a select group of Egyptian women

A pilot survey was conducted on 18 predominantly upper class Egyptian women ages 23 to 47 years. Questions on demographic status, dietary habits, and health status were asked. Anthropometric measurements of height, weight, waist and hip circumferences were done. The results show that this group of women has dietary habits similar to a???western??? diet of high fat, high simple carbohydrates and low fiber. The Body MassIndex (BMI) of 50% of the group falls in the overweight (above 25) and obese (above 30) regions. Twelve members of the group, or 67%, have waist/hip circumference ratios of 0.73 or above, a factor relating positively to the onset of breast cancer. Four of the subjects (22%) have waist/hip circumference ratios of above 0.80, three of whom have blood relatives with breast cancer