Complain about a product or service

Study Ties French Fries To Breast Cancer Risk

August 19, 2005

Breast Cancer • What Women -- and Men -- Should Know about Breast Cancer • Daily Aspirin May Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer • FDA Approves New Genetic Test for Breast Cancer • Gene Mutation Spreads Breast Cancer • Research Finds Green Tea Helpful Against Breast Cancer • Marijuana Compound May Fight Breast Cancer • Mayo Clinic Sees New Hope In Breast Cancer Drug • FDA Approves Evista For Reducing Breast Cancer Risk • Side Effects Drive Women from Breast Cancer Drug • Hypnosis Reduces Pain and Costs in Breast Cancer Surgery • Grapefruit Linked to Breast Cancer • Study Finds No Link Between Abortion, Miscarriage and Breast Cancer • Falling Breast Cancer Rates Linked to Declining Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy • Hispanic Women Three Times More Likely to Develop Advanced Breast Cancer • MRI Screening of Opposite Breast Necessary for Women with Breast Cancer • FDA Approves Tykerb for Advanced Breast Cancer Patients • FDA Clears New Breast Cancer Test • Needle Biopsy May Not Be Enough to Rule Out Breast Cancer in Some Cases • Red Meat May Increase Breast Cancer Risk • Breast Cancer Survivors Skipping Mammograms, Study Finds • Breast Implant Complications Frequent, Study Finds • Tests Show Drug Fights Aggressive Breast Cancer • California Sues to Require Cancer Warnings on Potato Chips and French Fries • Study Ties Fries To Breast Cancer Risk • Low-Fat Diet May Reduce Risk of Recurrent Breast Cancer • Study Suggests Pain Reliever, Breast Cancer Link • Trials Show Herceptin Aids Breast Cancer Recovery • That Pink Ribbon Can Be Misleading, Consumer Group Warns • Survival Better When Breast Cancer Detected Through Mammography

Girls who eat lots of French fries during their pre-school years grow up to have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Their study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, categorizes the increased risk as "significant."

The study involved more than 2,000 female registered nurses, and found that those who regularly consumed French fries when they were young had a higher incidence of breast cancer than those who did not.

The authors said the study provides additional credence to the belief that early eating habits impact a woman’s health later in life.

Nutrition & Kids • 7UP Drops "All Natural" Claim • 7UP Not "All Natural," Consumers Group Charges • Clinton Brokers Deal To Limit Sodas In Schools • Eating Out Often May Add to Kids' Cardiovascular Risk • Son of Sphinx - USDA Unveils Another Food Pyramid • California Sues to Require Cancer Warnings on Potato Chips and French Fries • Calcium Supplements May Help Teen-Aged Girls • TV Ads Market Junk Food to Kids, Study Finds • Study Ties Childhood French Fries To Adult Breast Cancer Risk • Fast-Food Restaurants Cluster Around Schools • Beverage Industry Pulls Soda From Elementary Schools • Tropicana to Change Labeling of Fruit-Flavored Drinks • Healthy Food Takes Backseat At Many Schools

The study examined the diets of the women when they were between the ages of three and five. Mothers of the subjects were questioned about the frequency of consumption of about 30 specific food items.

Upon reviewing the data, researchers say they found that for each additional serving of French fries per week when they were preschoolers women had a 27 percent increased risk of breast cancer later in life.

What’s the connection? Researchers say more study is needed, but that it’s unlikely potatoes are the culprit. Instead, they suggest that frying the potatoes in fat and trans-fatty acids might play a role.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.