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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Sep 1.
Published in final edited form as: Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2016 Aug 10;159(2):335–345. doi: 10.1007/s10549-016-3910-0

Table 4.

Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for breast cancer according to quintile of intake of whole grain and refined grain foods during adolescence among women in the Nurses’ Health Study II

Quintile of intake
1 2 3 4 5 Ptrend
Adolescent total whole grain-food intake

All cases
    Median intake, serving/day 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.9 1.5
    No. of cases/person-years 270/134,593 270/134,862 286/134,501 259/134,628 262/134,488
    Age-adjusted RR (95%CI) 1 1.02 (0.86–1.21) 1.08 (0.92–1.28) 0.98 (0.82–1.16) 1.01 (0.85–1.20) 0.88
    Multivariable RR (95%CI) 1 1.01 (0.85–1.20) 1.06 (0.89–1.26) 0.96 (0.80–1.14) 0.98 (0.81–1.17) 0.57

Premenopausal cases
    Median intake, serving/day 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.9 1.5
    No. of cases/person-years 126/69,635 118/69,585 113/69,549 113/69,509 106/69,439
    Age-adjusted RR (95%CI) 1 0.95 (0.73–1.22) 0.89 (0.69–1.15) 0.90 (0.69–1.16) 0.86 (0.67–1.12) 0.28
    Multivariable RR (95%CI) 1 0.97 (0.75–1.26) 0.89 (0.68–1.16) 0.91 (0.69–1.18) 0.85 (0.65–1.13) 0.25

Postmenopausal cases
    Median intake, serving/day 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.9 1.4
    No. of cases/person-years 129/53,409 124/53,411 139/53,181 120/53,396 128/53,316
    Age-adjusted RR (95%CI) 1 0.97 (0.75–1.24) 1.10 (0.86–1.39) 0.93 (0.72–1.19) 1.00 (0.78–1.28) 0.92
    Multivariable RR (95%CI) 1 0.93 (0.72–1.20) 1.03 (0.81–1.32) 0.89 (0.68–1.15) 0.94 (0.72–1.23) 0.61

Adolescent total refined grain-food intake

All cases
    Median intake, serving/day 1.5 2.1 2.7 3.3 4.3
    No. of cases/person-years 295/134,819 259/134,283 268/135,101 263/133,935 262/134,936
    Age-adjusted RR (95%CI) 1 0.89 (0.75–1.05) 0.94 (0.80–1.11) 0.95 (0.80–1.12) 0.95 (0.80–1.12) 0.78
    Multivariable RR (95%CI) 1 0.88 (0.74–1.05) 0.94 (0.78–1.12) 0.95 (0.78–1.15) 0.97 (0.78–1.21) 0.98

Premenopausal cases
    Median intake, serving/day 1.5 2.2 2.7 3.3 4.3
    No. of cases/person-years 129/69,801 111/69,158 104/69,717 115/69,410 117/69,632
    Age-adjusted RR (95%CI) 1 0.89 (0.69–1.15) 0.82 (0.63–1.07) 0.95 (0.73–1.22) 0.98 (0.76–1.26) 0.91
    Multivariable RR (95%CI) 1 0.92 (0.70–1.20) 0.88 (0.66–1.17) 1.02 (0.75–1.38) 1.09 (0.78–1.53) 0.47

Postmenopausal cases
    Median intake, serving/day 1.4 2.1 2.6 3.2 4.2
    No. of cases/person-years 147/53,464 124/53,274 122/53,428 126/53,262 121/53,284
    Age-adjusted RR (95%CI) 1 0.85 (0.67–1.09) 0.83 (0.65–1.06) 0.87 (0.69–1.11) 0.85 (0.67–1.09) 0.28
    Multivariable RR (95%CI) 1 0.79 (0.61–1.02) 0.77 (0.59–1.00) 0.80 (0.60–1.06) 0.78 (0.57–1.08) 0.21

Multivariable model was stratified by age in months at start of follow-up and calendar year of the current questionnaire cycle and was simultaneously adjusted for smoking (never, past, current 1–14/day, current 15–24/day, current ≥25/day), race (white/non-white), parity and age at first birth (nulliparous, parity ≤2 and age at first birth <25 years, parity≤2 and age at first birth 25–<30 years, parity ≤2 and age at first birth ≥30 years, parity 3–4 and age at first birth <25 years, parity 3–4 and age at first birth 25–<30 years, parity 3–4 and age at first birth ≥30 years, parity ≥5 and age at first birth <25 years, parity ≥5 and age at first birth ≥25 years), height (<62, 62–<65, 65–<68, ≥68 inches), BMI at age 18 years (<18.5, 18.5–<22.5, 22.5–<25, 25.0–<30, ≥30.0 kg/m2), weight change since age 18 (continuous, missing indicator), age at menarche (<12, 12, 13, ≥14 years), family history of breast cancer (yes, no), history of benign breast disease (yes, no), oral contraceptive use (never, past, current), adolescent alcohol intake (nondrinker, <5, ≥5 g/day), adult alcohol intake (nondrinker, <5, 5–<15,≥15 g/day), physical activity (quintile), adolescent energy intake (quintile). In postmenopausal women, we additionally adjusted for hormone use (postmenopausal never users, postmenopausal past users, postmenopausal current users), age at menopause (<45 years, 45 to 46 years, 47 to 48, 49 to 50 years, 51 to 52 years, ≥53 years). Among all women, we additionally adjusted for hormone use and menopausal status (premenopausal, postmenopausal never users, postmenopausal past users, postmenopausal current users, unknown menopausal status) and, age at menopause (premenopausal, unknown menopause, <45 years, 45 to 46 years, 47 to 48, 49 to 50 years, 51 to 52 years, ≥53 years).