Nonendocrine theories of the etiology of benign breast disease.

This article summarizes 15 years of clinical and laboratory studies that have continued the search for a biochemical basis for the development and resolution of symptomatic benign fibrocystic disease. The clinical response to diet modifications is presented along with simultaneous laboratory tissue and serum studies. An ongoing study of the clinical response to complete and total methylxanthine abstention, especially caffeine, is presented in the initial part of the article. Following the clinical observations, is a series of laboratory studies, some of which actually preceded the clinical investigation and, in fact, pointed out that a beneficial clinical response might occur in some women following complete abstention. In the last paragraph, we present current information that may identify which women are susceptible to fibrocystic breast disease development.