Table 4 Association between principal components and subject variables in EPIC

% of variance explained

0.064

0.034

0.022

Minimum p value chips

0.327

0.124

0.516

Covariates

 Case/control status

0.02

0.0005

0.23

 Age

0.00012

0.63

0.16

 Weight

0.84

0.10

0.01

 Height

0.73

0.59

0.60

 BMI (continuous)

0.74

0.14

0.01

 BMI (categorical)

  Underweight

0.50

0.11

0.44

  Overweight

0.86

0.11

0.34

  Obese

0.96

0.20

0.01

 Physical activity (cat)

  Moderately inactive

0.05

0.17

0.57

  Moderately active

0.03

0.01

0.38

  Active

0.43

0.73

0.76

 Red meat

0.02

0.08

0.90

 Alcohol

0.23

0.27

0.40

 Folate

0.91

0.0006

0.72

 Smoking

  Former

0.77

0.72

0.72

  Current

0.15

0.20

0.93

 Age at menarche (cat)

  12–14

0.53

0.03

0.16

  ≥15

0.20

0.41

0.88

 Age at menopause

0.45

0.73

0.25

 Menopausal state

0.002

0.25

0.78

 Ever pill

0.21

0.62

0.18

 Ever HRT

0.34

0.09

0.60

 ER status

0.42

0.14

0.39

 PR status

0.76

0.44

0.08