DIET AND HISTOLOGIC TYPES OF BENIGN BREAST DISEASE DEFINED BY SUBSEQUENT RISK OF BREAST-CANCER

The authors investigated the relation between diet and histologic types of benign breast disease defined by subsequent risk of breast cancer in a case-control study of volunteers who entered the Vancouver Center of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study between 1983 and 1985. Proliferative benign breast disease (n = 124) was inversely associated with vitamin A supplementation (vitamin A user vs. nonuser, odds ratio (OR) = 0.5) and frequent green vegetable consumption (frequent vs. rare consumption, OR = 0.3), whereas severe atypias and borderline carcinoma in situ (n = 32) were directly associated with frequent meat fats consumption (frequent vs. rare consumption, OR = 3.2) with no asso ciation with vitamin A or vegetable consumption. No dietary relations were found for histologic types of benign breast disease at no increased risk for subsequent breast cancer (n = 274). The implications of these findings in relation to the etiology of breast cancer are discussed. © 1990 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.