In studies of breast, endometrial, and prostate cancers, the relationships of dietary intakes and anthropometry were investigated. In two case-control studies of breast cancer in young U.S. women and in Asian-American women, height was a strong predictor of risk. Higher weight was associated with decreased risk in the young U.S. women and the youngest Asian-American women. Investigation of hormone levels among premenopausal controls showed that serum estradiol levels were lower among heavy compared with thin women, perhaps explaining the reduced risk of this cancer among young, heavy women. In older Asian-American women, however, risk steadily increased with both recent adiposity and recent weight gain. Further, increased risk with adiposity was shown to be related to age at diagnosis in a prospective study of breast cancer, with the highest risk for heavy women diagnosed at age 65 or older. A review of body weight and risk of breast and endometrial cancers suggests that avoidance of weight gain and accumulation of central body fat in adulthood may reduce risk of these cancers in older women. Percent fat in the diet was not related to increased risk of breast cancer but dietary habits that may be proxies for dietary patterns were related to breast cancer risk in a screening population in the U.S.. High intake of soy, mainly tofu, was found to be associated with reduced risk of breast cancer among Asian-American women. Information from mothers of cases and controls were analyzed and showed that having been breast-fed as an infant was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer among young U.S. women. Compared with never drinkers, high intake of alcohol was related to increased risk of prostate cancer among whites and blacks in a large case-control study. Similarly, increased risk of breast cancer among young women was observed for high intakes of alcohol, with recent intake being more important than consumption at earlier time periods.
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