Flavonoids and Breast Cancer Risk in Italy

Abstract

Few epidemiologic studies have investigated the potential relation between flavonoids and breast cancer risk. We have applied recently published data on the composition of foods and beverages in terms of six principal classes of flavonoids (i.e., flavanones, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, flavones, anthocyanidines, and isoflavones) on dietary information collected in a large-case control study of breast cancer conducted in Italy between 1991 and 1994. The study included 2,569 women with incident, histologically confirmed breast cancer, and 2,588 hospital controls. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by multiple logistic regression models. After allowance for major confounding factors and energy intake, a reduced risk of breast cancer was found for increasing intake of flavones (OR, 0.81, for the highest versus the lowest quintile; P-trend, 0.02), and flavonols (OR, 0.80; P-trend, 0.06).

Diet and body mass, and oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas: Analysis from the IARC multinational case–control study

“…30 Vegetables and fruits, especially citrus fruits, are also rich in flavonoids and polyphenols having antioxidant, antimutagenic and antiproliferative properties. 31,32 Fish also appeared as an indicator of decreased risk of oral cancer in the present study, and a favourable effect has also been reported at other cancer sites. 33 Fish intake supplies n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are incorporated into cell membranes and influence several biological responses, 34 such as suppression of neoplastic transformation, cell growth inhibition, immune system and inflammation, 35,36 apoptosis and anti-angiogenesis.…”

Apigenin and cancer chemoprevention: Progress, potential and promise (Review)

“…A recent case-control study conducted in Greece on 820 women with breast cancer and 1,548 control patients without breast cancer demonstrated a strong significant inverse association between flavone intake in leafy vegetables and the development of breast cancer (75). More recent casecontrol studies of breast cancer conducted in Italy which included 2,569 women with histologically confirmed breast cancer and 2,588 hospital controls have found an inverse association between flavone consumption and breast cancer risk, essentially confirming the results of the Greek study (76). These observational and case-control reports on plant flavone intake encourage further studies on types of human cancer.…”

Epidemiology of soy exposures and breast cancer risk

“…The combined OR (summary OR ¼ 1.02, 95% CI ¼ 0.84 -1.23) from these three nested case -control studies is consistent with the finding of no association based on dietary soy isoflavones and breast cancer risk in Western populations. There were no differences in results by menopausal status (Horn-Ross et al, 2001;dos Santos Silva et al, 2004;Keinan-Boker et al, 2004;Bosetti et al, 2005;Fink et al, 2007;Verheus et al, 2007). One study examined the soy -breast cancer association by body size and reported no differences in results (Bosetti et al, 2005).…”

“…Fourteen studies were included in the meta-analysis by Trock et al (2006). Of the remaining 14 studies, 6 were conducted in Asia (Hirose et al, 2005;Lee et al, 2005;Shannon et al, 2005;Ho et al, 2006;Do et al, 2007;Nishio et al, 2007) while the rest were conducted in various Western populations (Peterson et al, 2003;dos Santos Silva et al, 2004;Keinan-Boker et al, 2004;Bosetti et al, 2005;Thanos et al, 2006;Touillaud et al, 2006;Fink et al, 2007;Verheus et al, 2007). Given that Asians differ from Western populations in terms of types and amounts of soy consumed, and possess distinct characteristics linked to breast cancer risk, we conducted separate meta-analysis on epidemiologic data derived from Asians and Western populations, respectively.…”