ALCOHOL AND OTHER DIETARY FACTORS IN RELATION TO SERUM HORMONE CONCENTRATIONS IN WOMEN AT CLIMACTERIC

The relationships between concentrations of endogenous hormones in serum and dietary intakes of alcohol, fats, fiber, and caffeine were examined in 325 healthy Massachusetts women aged 50-60 y who reported having a normal menstrual period within the previous 12 mo. Diet was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Hormones assayed were estrone, estradiol, percent free estradiol, sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), cortisol, and gonadotropins. Alcohol intake was not associated with concentrations of estrogens or gonadotropins. Neither total fat intake nor the fat composition of the diet influenced hormone concentrations. Fiber intake was positively correlated with SHBG; no associations with estrogens were seen. Caffeine intake was inversely correlated with free estradiol and positively correlated with SHBG. These data suggest that fat, fiber, and alcohol intakes of US women at climacteric are not determinants of variations in estrone and either total or percent free estradiol.