Dietary Fat Intake, Serum Estrogen Level and Obesity as Risk Factors of Breast Cancer in Saudi Females: A Case-Control Study.

ABSTRACT

Aims: The aim of our study was to examine the associations of dietary fat intake, serum estrogen level and obesity with the risk of breast cancer in a case-control study among Saudi females including newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Study Design: Case-control study. Place and Duration of Study King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the period between 1st February and 30th May, 2008 Methodology: Dietary histories were collected 40 newly diagnosed female breast cancer cases and 82 randomly selected control subjects matched for age, parity, gravidity, number of children, breast feeding practice and age at marriage. A modified food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).was applied. Anthropometric measurements and blood tests that measured LDL, HDL, triglycerides (TGs) and estrogen levels were performed. Significance was considered at P≤0.05. Results: Breast cancer was significantly associated with overall obesity based on BMI (OR = 3.10, 95%, CI = 1.17–8.25, P=0.02) and central obesity based on WC (OR = 3.95, 95%, CI = 1.27–12.28, P=0.01). Cases exhibited significantly higher fat mass (39.6 vs. 36.9 kg, p=0.04) and significantly lower Fat intake (46.0±27.5 vs 59.0±38.9 g/day, P=0.034) than did the control group. The mean levels of TGs (2.9±1.1vs.1.8±1.1 mmol/L, P<0.0001) and estradiol (131.0 vs 70.6 pmol/L, P≤0.008) were significantly higher in the study patients compared with the control subjects, whereas the mean level of low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) was significantly higher in the control subjects (3.1±0.8 vs. 1.6±1.0 mmol/L, P≤0.0001) compared with the study patients. Conclusion: Both overall obesity and central obesity were significantly associated with breast cancer. Higher fat mass and lower fat intake and increased estrogen level were significantly associated with breast cancer cases. Further prospective studies on the Saudi population are recommended to explore the mechanisms of these findings.