Dietary factors related to breast cancer.

It is becoming increasingly accepted that the ingestion of dietary fat is one of the major environmental factors involved in the development of breast cancer. Laboratory data and epidemiologic evidence supporting the association are discussed in relation to the etiology of this diseae, which strikes one out of every 11 American women. Although the mechanism by which fat exerts its influence on breast cancer development remains to be more fully understood, it is recommended that a dietary regimen with a decrease in fat consumption be adopted to effect a reduction in breast cancer incidence. The eventual prevention of breast cancer will require additional and closer cooperation between epidemiologists, endocrinologists, nutritionists, chemists, cell biologists, and public health specialists.