Inflammatory potential of the diet and risk of breast cancer in the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study

Carlota Castro-Espin, Antonio Agudo, Catalina Bonet, Verena Katzke, Renée Turzanski-Fortner, Krasimira Aleksandrova, Matthias B. Schulze, Anne Tjønneland, Christina C. Dahm, José Ramón Quirós, María José Sánchez, Pilar Amiano, María Dolores Chirlaque, Eva Ardanaz, Giovanna Masala, Sabina Sieri, Rosario Tumino, Carlotta Sacerdote, Salvatore Panico, Anne M. MayStina Bodén, Inger T. Gram, Guri Skeie, Nasser Laouali, Sanam Shah, Gianluca Severi, Dagfinn Aune, Melissa A. Merritt, Manon Cairat, Elisabete Weiderpass, Elio Riboli, Laure Dossus, Paula Jakszyn

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    12 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The role of chronic inflammation on breast cancer (BC) risk remains unclear beyond as an underlying mechanism of obesity and physical activity. We aimed to evaluate the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and risk of BC overall, according to menopausal status and tumour subtypes. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort, 318,686 women were followed for 14 years, among whom 13,246 incident BC cases were identified. The inflammatory potential of the diet was characterized by an inflammatory score of the diet (ISD). Multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the potential effect of the ISD on BC risk by means of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). ISD was positively associated with BC risk. Each increase of one standard deviation (1-Sd) of the score increased by 4% the risk of BC (HR = 1.04; 95% CI 1.01–1.07). Women in the highest quintile of the ISD (indicating a most pro-inflammatory diet) had a 12% increase in risk compared with those in the lowest quintile (HR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.04–1.21) with a significant trend. The association was strongest among premenopausal women, with an 8% increased risk for 1-Sd increase in the score (HR = 1.08; 95% CI 1.01–1.14). The pattern of the association was quite homogeneous by BC subtypes based on hormone receptor status. There were no significant interactions between ISD and body mass index, physical activity, or alcohol consumption. Women consuming more pro-inflammatory diets as measured by ISD are at increased risk for BC, especially premenopausal women.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)953-964
    Number of pages12
    JournalEuropean Journal of Epidemiology
    Volume36
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2021

    Keywords

    • Breast cancer
    • Chronic inflammation
    • Inflammatory potential of the diet
    • Prospective study

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