Breast cancer risk and nutrient intake among French Canadians in Montreal: a case-control study

The association between dietary patterns and breast cancer risk remains one of the most important unresolved questions in epidemiology at the present time. In order to contribute to this debate, a case-control study of breast cancer was conducted in members of the Francophone community in Montreal. In total, 414 cases and 429 population-based controls were interviewed in this study. There was no association found between breast cancer risk and total energy intake or energy-providing nutrients, fat, protein and carbohydrates in any form or from any source. There was also no association found between the risk of breast cancer and the intake of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, retinol, beta-carotene, vitamin C or vitamin E. These results provide further evidence against the association between adult dietary fat intake and breast cancer risk. Given the indirect evidence supporting such an association, it appears imperative that consideration be given to how to further approach the subject of dietary fat intake and breast cancer risk. The lack of association between vitamins and minerals and breast cancer risk also casts doubt on such associations, indicating the importance of developing new hypotheses and approaches to the nutritional study of breast cancer.