Although diet is believed to influence colorectal cancer risk, the long-term effects of a diet with a high glycemic load are unclear. The growing recognition that colorectal cancer may be promoted by hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance suggests that a diet inducing high blood glucose levels and an elevated insulin response may contribute to a metabolic environment conducive to tumor growth. We prospectively followed a cohort of 38 451 women for an average of 7.9 years and identified 174 with incident colorectal cancer. We used baseline dietary intake measurements, assessed with a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, to examine the associations of dietary glycemic load, overall dietary glycemic index, carbohydrate, fiber, nonfiber carbohydrate, sucrose, and fructose with the subsequent development of colorectal cancer. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate relative risks (RRs). Dietary glycemic load was statistically significantly associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (adjusted RR = 2.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.40 to 5.80, comparing extreme quintiles of dietary glycemic load; P(trend) =.004) and was associated, although not statistically significantly, with overall glycemic index (corresponding RR = 1.71, 95% CI = 0.98 to 2.98; P(trend) =.04). Total carbohydrate (adjusted RR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.10 to 5.27, comparing extreme quintiles of carbohydrate; P(trend) =.02), nonfiber carbohydrate (corresponding RR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.22 to 5.54; P(trend) =.02), and fructose (corresponding RR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.13 to 3.87; P(trend) =.08) were also statistically significantly associated with increased risk. Thus, our data indicate that a diet with a high dietary glycemic load may increase the risk of colorectal cancer in women.

A diet with a high glycemic load (GL) may contribute to a metabolic environment that enhances tumorigenesis. Little is known, however, about whether high glycemic diets increase breast cancer risk in women. We examined the associations between baseline measurements of dietary GL and overall glycemic index (GI) and subsequent breast cancer in a cohort of 39,876 women, ages 45 years or older, participating in the Women's Health Study. During a mean of 6.8 years of follow-up there were 946 confirmed cases of breast cancer. We found no association between dietary GL [multivariableadjusted relative risk (RR), 1.01; confidence interval (CI), 0.76 -1.35, comparing extreme quintiles; P for trend ‫؍‬ 0.96] or overall GI (corresponding RR, 1.03; CI, 0.84 -1.28; P for trend ‫؍‬ 0.66) and breast cancer risk in the cohort as a whole. Exploratory analyses stratified by baseline measurements of menopausal status, physical activity, smoking history, alcohol use, and history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or hypercholesterolemia showed no significant associations, except in the subgroup of women who were premenopausal and reported low levels of physical activity (GL multivariable-adjusted RR, 2.35; CI, 1.03-5.37; P for trend ‫؍‬ 0.07; GI multivariableadjusted RR, 1.56; CI, 0.88 -2.78; P for trend ‫؍‬ 0.02, comparing extreme quintiles). Although we did not find evidence that a high glycemic diet increases overall breast cancer risk, the increase in risk in premenopausal women with low levels of physical activity suggests the possibility that the effects of a high glycemic diet may be modified by lifestyle and hormonal factors. Prospective studies of a larger sample size and longer duration are warranted to confirm our findings.

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the expense of higher numbers of deaths in both groups than in the actual scenario, and a lesser improvement in absolute inequality. The differences between the two scenarios raised ethical questions. Conclusion When talking about health inequalities, defining desirable reductions in them, assessing trends and judging success and failure, it is important, on social justice and other grounds, to consider both absolute and relative inequality. Objective To assess the influence of social circumstances at 12 yrs on c-section delivery. Methods Women (n¼6827) were consecutively recruited during the assembling of a birth-cohort. Interviews were used to obtain data on social and demographic characteristics and current pregnancy events. Financial childhood circumstances were classified as low (LF) or high (HF) based on the number of amenities reported. Parents' education was defined as low (#6 years, LPE) and high (HPE). The effect of participants' financial socioeconomic conditions on csection risk was computed using logistic regression stratified by parents 'education. Results Women with both high financial and educational childhood circumstances were significantly older, more educated and more frequently primiparous, with normal or underweight and reporting private antenatal care. The overall c-section rate was 35.6% varying from 32.2% (LF-LE) to 41.3% (HF-HE). After adjustment and considering women in LF-LPE as reference, we obtained OR¼0.92; 95% CI 0.66 to 1.28 for LF-HPE group, OR¼1.19; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.37 for HF-LPE group and OR¼1.38; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.64) for HF-HPE group. Stratifying by parents' education and compared with women in LF group, those in HF group showed higher risk of csection either in the LPE group (OR¼1.19; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.37) or in the HPE group (OR¼1.42; 95% CI 0.99 to 2.02). Conclusions Our results suggest that, independently of the parents' education and the current socio-demographic conditions, the childhood financial environment may influence the mode of delivery. P1-353

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