NUTRIENT INTAKE ACCORDING TO EDUCATION, SMOKING, AND ALCOHOL IN ITALIAN WOMEN

The control group of a hospital-based case-control study on breast can cer was used to assess the relationships between education, smoking ha bits, alcohol consumption, and intake of selected macro- and micronutr ients in Italian women. The study subjects were 2,588 women admitted t o a network of hospitals in various Italian regions for nonneoplastic, acute diseases unrelated to long-term changes in the diet. Although r elatively few differences were observed, less educated subjects consum ed more linoleic acid and polyunsaturated fats than did more educated women. Smoking habits were associated with the largest differences in selected antioxidant vitamins. Significant differences were observed f or beta-carotene and vitamin C intake, with an 11% higher intake of be ta-carotene and a 12% higher intake of vitamin C in ex-smokers than in current smokers. Heavier alcohol drinkers tended to consume more reti nol and iron but less beta-carotene than did moderate or nondrinkers. Thus the differences in macro- and micronutrient intake were generally moderate across categories of education, smoking, and alcohol consump tion in this data set of Italian women. Nonetheless, they confirm the importance of allowing for these variables in analyzing the relationsh ip between nutritional factors and disease risk.