Dietary factors and epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract

Summary Dietary data from a population-based case-control study of 172 epithelial ovarian cancer cases and 172 controls were analysed. A significant (P<0.01) dose-response relationship was found between intake of fat from animal sources and risk of ovarian cancer, but plant fat was not associated. Although the effect of animal fat was confounded by education, an adjusted odds ratio of 1.8 persisted for those in the upper quartile compared to the lower quartile of consumption (P for trend=0.03). After adjustment for animal fat intake, calorific and protein intake had minimal effects on risk. Total vegetables were found to be somewhat protective, but the mechanism of action was unclear. Weight, height and relative weight (weight/height2) were not related to risk of ovarian cancer.Substantial evidence indicates that diet is a major factor in the cause of some of the most important and prevalent human cancers, especially cancers of the digestive tract and hormone-dependent cancers (Williams & Weisburger, 1986). An involvement of dietary fat in the aetiology of ovarian cancer has been suggested by some epidemiological studies (Armstrong & Doll, 1975;Cramer et al., 1984;Rose et al., 1986;La Vecchia et al., 1987). Experimental studies have shown that dietary fat is related to endogenous hormone levels, providing a plausible mechanism for the association (Willett & MacMahon, 1984b Information on usual adult consumption of 63 common foods in Shanghai was obtained. Study subjects were first asked about how often they ate each food (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, seldom or never), followed by questions to derive the grams of food eaten per unit time. The women, who generally were responsible for buying and preparing the meals for their households, adjusted the quantities purchased by the fraction they consumed. The food composition table published by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (1981) was employed to convert these foods into nutrients. The majority of nutrient values were based on data derived from the Shanghai area; when this information was missing, values from Jiangsu province, and occasionally from Beijing, were utilised. Data were not available on saturated and unsaturated fat in Chinese foods so it was not possible to examine these two variables. Multiplying the reported daily consumption (in grams) of each individual food by the nutrient content per gram in that food, and then summing over all foods, generated for each individual the total daily ingestion of each nutrient. In addition, food groups were formed based on dietary or botanical similarities. For example, meats included pork, pork chops, spareribs, pigs' feet, salted pork, pork liver, organ meats, beef, lamb, chicken and duck; the cruciferous vegetables included greens, cabbage, Chinese cabbage and cauliflower; and alium consisted of foods in the onion family (see Table VI for further details).The odds ratio (OR, estimated relative risk) was employed in measuring the association between diet and ovarian cancer. Based upon the distribution amon...

Diet and ovarian cancer risk: a case–control study in China

“…Results from the present study supported the previous findings by Shu et al (1989) conducted in a similar region in China, especially that an elevated risk was associated with an increased consumption of animal fat. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to investigate the effect of preserved foods with respect to ovarian cancer risk.…”

“…Dietary factors, especially vegetables, fruits and fat intake, have been suggested to influence ovarian cancer risk (Snowdon, 1985;La Vecchia et al, 1987;Shu et al, 1989;Tzonou et al, 1993;Risch et al, 1994;Kushi et al, 1999;Parazzini et al, 2000). Shu et al (1989) found a significant positive dose-response relationship between intake of fat from animal sources and ovarian cancer, and a somewhat protective effect from vegetables, in a case -control study in China. The aim of this case -control study is to further assess the association between dietary factors and epithelial ovarian cancer, which accounts for more than 90% of all ovarian malignancies (Cotran et al, 1999).…”

Diet and ovarian cancer risk: A case-control study in Italy

“…7,9,10,12,13 In the present study, the inverse relation was observed both for raw and cooked vegetables, as well as for pulses, although the inverse relation for raw vegetable consumption was apparently greater than for cooked ones and pulses.…”

“…2 Descriptive epidemiology and ecological studies have reported positive relations between fats, proteins and total calories intake and ovarian cancer risk. 3,4 Data from analytical, mainly casecontrol studies, also supported the hypothesis of a possible increased risk in relation to various types of fat, [5][6][7][8][9][10] but not with monounsaturated ones. 11 With reference with specific foods, several case-control studies reported a beneficial effect of diet rich in vegetables on ovarian cancer risk.…”

“…11 With reference with specific foods, several case-control studies reported a beneficial effect of diet rich in vegetables on ovarian cancer risk. 7,10,12,13 A few case-control studies showed that women with cancer of the ovary reported more frequent meat consumption, 8,10,14 and others suggested that high egg intake may also increase the risk of ovarian cancer. 6,7,9 Fish, on the other hand, seemed to exert a protective effect.…”