Consumption of Vegetables and Fruits and Risk of Breast Cancer

Abstract

ContextThe intake of vegetables and fruits has been thought to protect against breast cancer. Most of the evidence comes from case-control studies, but a recent pooled analysis of the relatively few published cohort studies suggests no significantly reduced breast cancer risk is associated with vegetable and fruit consumption.Objective To examine the relation between total and specific vegetable and fruit intake and the incidence of breast cancer. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsProspective study of 285 526 women between the ages of 25 and 70 years, participating in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, recruited from 8 of the 10 participating European countries. Participants completed a dietary questionnaire in 1992-1998 and were followed up for incidence of cancer until 2002. Main Outcome MeasuresRelative risks for breast cancer by total and specific vegetable and fruit intake. Analyses were stratified by age at recruitment and study center. Relative risks were adjusted for established breast cancer risk factors. ResultsDuring 1486402 person-years (median duration of follow-up, 5.4 years), 3659 invasive incident breast cancer cases were reported. No significant associations between vegetable or fruit intake and breast cancer risk were observed. Relative risks for the highest vs the lowest quintile were 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84-1.14) for total vegetables, 1.09 (95% CI, 0.94-1.25) for total fruit, and 1.05 (95% CI, 0.92-1.20) for fruit and vegetable juices. For 6 specific vegetable subgroups no associations with breast cancer risk were observed either. ConclusionAlthough the period of follow-up is limited for now, the results suggest that total or specific vegetable and fruit intake is not associated with risk for breast cancer.

Diet and cancer in Northeast Brazil: evaluation of eating habits and food group consumption in relation to breast cancer

“…However, in the United Kingdom, the Chief Medical Officer's Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) concluded that the effect was moderately consistent for vegetables but presented weak consistency for fruits 26 . In a cohort study published recently, van Gils et al 30 did not find any association between fruit and vegetables and breast cancer. However, they did not rule out the possibility of a protective effect by specific types of fruits and vegetables.…”

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Fruits and Vegetables and Renal Cell Carcinoma: Findings From the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (Epic)

“…The calibration method used has been previously described. 22,26,27 Briefly, the food item specific 24-hr diet recall values were regressed on the respective dietary questionnaire values, stratified by sex. Center-specific regression calibration models were used to correct for bias mainly attributable to differences in the dietary assessment instruments among EPIC centers.…”