Female coffee drinkers will be happy to know the results of this study: caffeine consumption does not appear to be associated with an overall increase in breast cancer, according to a report in the October 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. However, the study finds that if you have had breast cancer, you might want to decrease your caffeine consumption.
Over 10 years of follow-up, women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had the same overall risk of breast cancer as women who almost never drank coffee. There was some suggestion that heavy caffeine consumption was associated with an increased risk for benign breast disease and that caffeine might speed the progression of aggressive forms of breast cancer.
Researchers studied 38,432 women, 45 years and older, who provided dietary information from 1992-95. The study was conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston and Tokyo Women's Medical University, Japan. Over an average 10 years of follow-up, 1,188 of the women developed invasive breast cancer.
"Consumption of caffeine and caffeinated beverages and foods was not statistically significantly associated with overall risk of breast cancer," author Dr Ken Ishitani of Brigham and Women's Hospital wrote.
Caffeine consumption
Among women with benign breast disease, a non-significant positive association with breast cancer risk was observed for those in the highest quintile (one-fifth) of caffeine consumption and a significant association was observed for those in the highest category of coffee consumption (four or more cups daily).
Consuming caffeine was also associated with a 68 per cent increased risk of oestrogen receptor-negative and progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer, or tumours to which the hormones oestrogen and progesterone do not bind, and a 79 per cent increased risk for breast tumours larger than two centimetres. The authors concluded that the findings indicate that caffeine consumption might affect breast cancer progression, and further study might be needed.
- Journal of the American Medical Association.
Which pie crust is better?
Q: Are Graham-cracker pie crusts lower in fat than those made with traditional dough?
A: Both Graham-cracker and traditional pie crusts vary tremendously in the amount of fat used in making them. Some pre-made frozen crusts are relatively low in fat because fat use is minimised in production and they are rolled extremely thin. But, as the pie dough is made richer with more fat or the crust gets thicker, fat and calories increase markedly.
A traditional recipe might have from 120 to 200 calories and eight to 12 grams of fat per slice of pie in the crust alone. Although Graham or wafer cookie crumb crusts can be made with a healthier soft margarine (instead of the solid shortening used in most traditional dough), the fat content will vary depending on how much is used. In addition, caloric content might be slightly higher than dough crusts because of the use of sweet crumbs.
Whether you choose a pre-made crust or make your own, better versions using at least part whole wheat and healthier fats are available and worth looking for.
American Institute for Cancer Research.
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