Total plasma iron, copper, zinc and selenium and the dietary intake of these elements were determined in pre-menopausal (pre-m) and post-menopausal (post-m) women mainly with stage I breast cancer (BCA), and in omnivorous (OMN) and vegetarian (VEG) controls. The OMN groups comprised 14 pre-m women (33 -+ 6 (SD) years) and I 1 post-m women (57 5 5 years), and the VEG groups comprised 12 pre-m women (34 2 7 years) and I I post-m women (59 -+ 5 years). There were 13 pre-m BCA patients (39 -+ 7 years) and 10 post-m BCA patients (66 t 6 years). Fasting plasma samples were obtained on 3 consecutive days, typically four times a year. Dietary assessment was over 5 days by weighing dietary components on a letter balance and analyzing for nutrient components using a computer program. Overall geometric means (1 SD range) for plasma (pnol l-')/dietary (mg/day) elements were: Fe 15.5 (10./31 .O pg/day (8.1 -44.2). Except for P-Cu pre-m (16.4 pmoll-' in controls vs 18.2 p o l I-' in BCA group, p < 0.03) plasma elemental levels themselves did not distinguish BCA from controls. Neither did elemental ratios separate BCA from controls. Only for Se did plasma levels depend directly on intake (correlation coeficient 0.24, p < 0.02). The P-Cddiet-copper ratio ( p o l 1-' per mg/day) distinguished pre-rn BCA (12.9) from pre-m controls (9.8-OMN, 104-VEG; p < 0.001) and post-m BCA (14.3) from post-m VEG (11.3; p < 0.01);this was also true for a parameter of the plasma non-caeruloplasmin copper/diet-copper ratio, perhaps pointing to differences in copper absorption.

No abstract

No abstract