Dietary Patterns and Breast Cancer Risk
Author Information
Author(s): Baglietto L, Krishnan K, Severi G, Hodge A, Brinkman M, English D R, McLean C, Hopper J L, Giles G G
Primary Institution: Cancer Epidemiology Centre, The Cancer Council Victoria
Hypothesis
Prudent dietary patterns might be associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer.
Conclusion
A dietary pattern rich in fruit and salad may protect against invasive breast cancer, especially for hormone receptor-negative tumours.
Supporting Evidence
- 815 invasive breast cancers were diagnosed during an average follow-up of 14.1 years.
- Women in the highest quintile of fruit and salad consumption had a hazard ratio of 0.48 for ER-negative and PR-negative tumours.
- The study identified four dietary patterns, with only the fruit and salad pattern showing a significant inverse association with breast cancer risk.
Takeaway
Eating lots of fruits and salads might help keep you from getting breast cancer, especially the more aggressive types.
Methodology
The study used data from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study and applied principal factor analysis to identify dietary patterns and their association with breast cancer risk.
Potential Biases
Potential residual confounding and chance findings due to multiple comparisons.
Limitations
The study relied on a single measure of diet recorded at baseline, which may not account for dietary changes over time.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included 20,967 women aged 27-76 years, predominantly from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.002
Confidence Interval
0.26–0.86
Statistical Significance
p=0.002
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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