Table 1.
Selected characteristics of the study sample by brown cheese consumption, the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study, 1996–2015 (N = 82 527).
| Characteristics | Brown cheese consumption | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Never | Up to 2 slices/day | More than 2 slices/day | |
| Participants at baseline, N (%) | 24 689 (29.9) | 48 689 (59.0) | 9149 (11.1) |
| Colorectal cancer, N (%) | 398 (1.61) | 814 (1.67) | 148 (1.62) |
| Colon cancer, N (%) | 270 (1.09) | 546 (1.12) | 91 (0.99) |
| Rectal cancer, N (%) | 128 (0.52) | 268 (0.55) | 57 (0.62) |
| Age at baseline (y), mean (SD) | 51.8 (6.2) | 51.6 (6.4) | 51.9 (6.7) |
| Age at study exit (y), mean (SD) | 66.0 (6.6) | 66.3 (6.9) | 67.2 (7.2) |
| Brown cheese intake (g/day), mean (SD) | 0 | 8.6 (4.7) | 38.6 (10.1) |
| Smoking status at baseline, N (%) | |||
| Never | 7601 (30.8) | 18 911 (38.8) | 3984 (43.5) |
| Former | 8267 (33.5) | 16 222 (33.3) | 2992 (32.7) |
| Current | 8821 (35.7) | 13 556 (27.8) | 2173 (23.7) |
| Physical activity level, N (%) | |||
| 1–4 | 7489 (30.3) | 12 415 (25.5) | 2089 (22.8) |
| 5–6 | 10 228 (41.4) | 21 441 (44.0) | 3849 (42.1) |
| 7–10 | 6972 (28.2) | 14 833 (30.5) | 3211 (35.1) |
| Alcohol consumption (g/day), mean (SD) | 4.2 (5.0) | 3.6 (4.4) | 2.8 (3.8) |
| Use of hormone replacement therapy at baseline, N (%) | |||
| Never | 15 532 (62.9) | 32 257 (66.2) | 6216 (67.9) |
| Former | 3344 (13.5) | 5704 (11.7) | 979 (10.7) |
| Current | 5813 (23.5) | 10 728 (22.0) | 1954 (21.4) |
| Total energy intake (kJ/day), mean (SD) | 6586.7 (1772.9) | 7072.1 (1794.1) | 8176.1 (1912.5) |
| Quartile of milk consumption, N (%) | |||
| 1 (low) | 12 680 (51.4) | 20 623 (42.4) | 3742 (40.9) |
| 2 (middle) | 6603 (26.7) | 14 178 (29.1) | 2449 (26.8) |
| 3 (high) | 5406 (21.9) | 13 888 (28.5) | 2958 (32.3) |
| Whole grain bread, N (%) | |||
| 1 (low) | 17 676 (71.6) | 32 947 (67.7) | 4359 (47.6) |
| 2 (middle) | 6013 (24.3) | 13 848 (28.4) | 3852 (42.1) |
| 3 (high) | 1000 (4.1) | 1894 (3.9) | 938 (10.2) |
| Calcium, mean (SD) | 695.6 (300.1) | 740.8 (288.7) | 955.3 (345.2) |
| Height, mean (SD) | 166.1 (5.7) | 166.2 (5.6) | 166.4 (5.6) |
SD: standard deviation.