High-risk health behaviors associated with various dietary patterns.

We have previously identified dietary patterns among 1,475 male and 780 female normal healthy control subjects in a case-control study of cancer at various sites. In this paper we examine the presence, among persons exhibiting these dietary patterns, of individual health behaviors that may contribute to risks for cancer. Specifically we examine trimming of separable fat from meats, fats used in cooking and as additions to foods, alcohol consumption, and smoking. Results indicate that men and women differ in possession of these high-risk behaviors. Women are more likely to trim fat from meat, consume less alcohol, and have lower exposures to smoking. Their dietary patterns are more independent of the fats used. Several eating patterns are positively associated with total fat intake but differ in their associations with high-risk behaviors. These data suggest that assessing risk associated with dietary patterns sheds more light on disease relationships than studies of single nutrients.