French Fries Linked to Breast Cancer

Reference: French Fries Linked to Breast Cancer Preschool Diet and Adult Risk of Breast Cancer International Journal of Cancer Aug 10,2005 Michels KB, Rosner BA, Chumlea WC, Colditz GA, Willett WC. These authors are associated with Har­vard Medical School. From Abstract: Events before puberty may affect adult risk of breast cancer. We examined whether diet during pre­school age may affect a woman's risk of breast cancer later in life. We conducted a case-control study including 582 women with breast cancer and 1,569 controls free of breast cancer, selected from participants in the Nurses' Health Study and the Nurses' Health Study II. Information concerning childhood diet of the nurses at ages 3-5 years was obtained from the mothers of the par­ticipants, with a 30-item food-frequency questionnaire. An increased risk of breast cancer was observed among woman who had frequently consumed French fries at preschool age. For one additional serving of French fries per week, the odds ratio for breast cancer adjusted for adult life breast can­cer risk factors was increased by 27%. These data suggest a possible associa­tion between diet before puberty and the subsequent risk of breast cancer. Key Points from Dan Murphy, D.C. Dietary habits before puberty may af­ fect adult risk of breast cancer. In this study, one additional serving of French fries per week for children between ages 3-5, increased the adult risk of breast cancer by 27%. This is considered a significant increase in risk of breast cancer. This study also showed that one ad­ ditional daily serving of ground beef for children between ages 3-5, was associated with a 44% increase of adult breast cancer. These authors believe that the prepara­ tion of French fries that includes high levels of trans-fatty acids may be the best explanation for the increased risk of adult breast cancer. French fries also contain the carcino­ genic industrial chemical acrylamide that may also be the reason for in­ creased adult breast cancer rates in this study. A 1978 graduate of Western States Chi­ropractic College, Dr. Dan Murphy is on the faculty of Life Chiroprac­tic College West, and is the Vice President of the Interna­tional Chiropractic Associa­tion. For more information, visit www.danmurphvdc.com.\