DIETARY FIBER AND RISK OF BREAST-CANCER - A CASE-CONTROL STUDY IN URUGUAY

To examine whether dietary fiber modifies breast cancer risk, a caes-c ontrol study involving 351 newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer and 356 hospitalized controls was conducted in Uruguay. Dietary patte rns were assessed in detail by use of a food frequency questionnaire o n 64 items, which allowed the calculation of total energy intake. Nutr ient residuals were calcultaed through regression analysis. After adju stment for potential confounders (which included age, residence, famil y history of breast cancer, prior history of benign breast disease, pa rity, total energy, red meat, lutein/zeaxanthin and quercetin intake, and menopausal status), dietary fiber and total nonstarch polyssachari des were associated with a strong reduction in risk of breast cancer ( odds ratio for uppermost quartile of total dietary fiber = 0.51, 95% c onfidence limit = 0.31-0.82). Also the dose-response pattern was highl y significant (p < 0.001). The inveres association was observed in pre - and post-menopausal women and was similar for soluble and insoluble fiber. Futhermore, dietary fiber displayed a strong joint effect with fat, quercetin, and lutein/zeaxanthin.