Since evidence relating diet to breast cancer risk is not sufficiently consistent to elaborate preventive proposals, the authors examined the association between dietary patterns and breast cancer ...risk in a large French cohort study. The analyses included 2,381 postmenopausal invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed during a median 9.7-year follow-up period (1993–2005) among 65,374 women from the E3N-EPIC cohort. Scores for dietary patterns were obtained by factor analysis, and breast cancer hazard ratios were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression for the highest quartile of dietary pattern score versus the lowest. Two dietary patterns were identified: “alcohol/Western” (essentially meat products, French fries, appetizers, rice/pasta, potatoes, pulses, pizza/pies, canned fish, eggs, alcoholic beverages, cakes, mayonnaise, and butter/cream) and “healthy/Mediterranean” (essentially vegetables, fruits, seafood, olive oil, and sunflower oil). The first pattern was positively associated with breast cancer risk (hazard ratio = 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 1.38; P = 0.007 for linear trend), especially when tumors were estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-positive. The “healthy/Mediterranean” pattern was negatively associated with breast cancer risk (hazard ratio = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.95; P = 0.003 for linear trend), especially when tumors were estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-negative. Adherence to a diet comprising mostly fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive/sunflower oil, along with avoidance of Western-type foods, may contribute to a substantial reduction in postmenopausal breast cancer risk.
The French National Cancer Institute conducted a collective expertise study with researchers and clinical experts from the French Network for Nutrition And Cancer Research (NACRe Network). The ...objective was to update the state of knowledge on the impacts of nutritional factors on clinical endpoints during or after cancer. Data from 150 meta-analyses, pooled analyses or intervention trials and 93 cohort studies were examined; they concerned 8 nutritional factors, 6 clinical events and 20 cancer locations. This report shows that some nutritional factors have impacts on mortality and on the risks of recurrence or second primary cancer in cancer patients. Therefore, high-risk nutritional conditions can be encountered for certain cancer sites: from the diagnosis and throughout the health care pathways, weight loss (lung and esophageal cancers), malnutrition (lung, esophageal, colorectal, pancreatic, gastric and liver cancers), weight gain (colorectal, breast and kidney cancers) and alcohol consumption (upper aerodigestive cancers) should be monitored; and after cancer treatments, excess weight should be detected (colorectal, breast and kidney cancers). These situations require nutritional assessments, and even support or management by health care professionals, in the context of tertiary prevention. This report also highlights some limitations regarding the existing literature and some needs for future research.
Abstract Purpose Prevention is a priority in the fight against cancers, especially nutritional prevention. To update the levels of evidence of relationships between 10 nutritional factors and cancer ...risk, the scientific literature published from 2006 to 2014 was reviewed by an expert group. Methods Data from 133 meta-analyses, pooled analyses or intervention trials were examined. Nearly 150 relationships between nutritional factors and cancer at various sites were evaluated. Results According to the evidence graded as convincing or probable, these factors were divided in two groups. Factors which increase the risk of cancer are alcoholic beverages, overweight and obesity, red meat and processed meat, salt and salted foods and beta-carotene supplements. Factors which decrease the risk of cancer are physical activity, fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber, dairy products and breastfeeding. Conclusion Three main nutritional objectives should be attained to improve cancer prevention: to reduce alcoholic beverages consumption, to have a balanced and diversified diet and to be physically active.
Purpose
Sarcopenia has been identified as an important prognostic factor for patients with cancer. This study aimed at exploring the potential associations between a 6-month physical activity ...intervention and muscle characteristics, sarcopenia, oxidative stress and toxicities in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Methods
Women newly diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (
N
= 49) participated in an unsupervised, personalized, 6-month physical activity intervention with activity tracker. Computerized tomography images at the third lumbar vertebra were analysed at baseline, three months and six months to assess sarcopenia (muscle mass index < 40 cm
2
/m
2
) and muscle quality (poor if muscle attenuation < 37.8 Hounsfield Units). Oxidative markers included plasma antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities), prooxidant enzymes (NADPH oxidase and myeloperoxidase activities) and oxidative stress damage markers (advanced oxidation protein products, malondialdehyde (MDA) and DNA oxidation.
Results
At baseline 53% (mean age 55 years (SD 10.41)) were sarcopenic and 75% had poor muscle quality. Muscle cross sectional area, skeletal muscle radiodensity, lean body mass remained constant over the six months (
p
= 0.75,
p
= 0.07 and
p
= 0.75 respectively), but differed significantly between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients at baseline and 6-months. Sarcopenic patients at baseline were more likely to have an increase of MDA (
p
= 0.02) at 6 months. Being sarcopenic during at least one moment during the 6-month study was associated with a higher risk of developing severe toxicities (grade > 2) (
p
= 0.02).
Conclusions
This study suggests potential benefits of physical activity for maintenance of muscle mass. Sarcopenia can alter many parameters and disturb the pro and antioxidant balance.
We undertook a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) to compare an exercise and nutritional program with the usual nutritional care concomitant to adjuvant chemotherapy in localized breast cancer ...patients. The CEA was designed as part of the interventional, controlled, randomized, single-center, open-label PASAPAS study. Breast cancer patients receiving first-line adjuvant chemotherapy at a French Comprehensive Cancer Center were randomized 2:1 to a 6-month exercise program of supervised indoor and outdoor group sessions in addition to usual nutritional care (exercise arm) or a usual nutritional care group receiving dietary and physical activity counseling (control arm). Costs were assessed from the French national insurance perspective (in Euros, 2012). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated for four criteria: body mass index, waist circumference, body fat percentage, and estimated aerobic capacity. Uncertainty around the ICERs was captured by a probabilistic analysis using a non-parametric bootstrap method. The analysis was based on 60 patients enrolled between 2011 and 2013. Average intervention costs per participant were €412 in the exercise arm (
n
= 41) and €117 (
n
= 19) in the control arm. Total mean costs were €17,344 (standard deviation 9,928) and €20,615 (standard deviation 14,904), respectively, did not differ significantly (
p
= 0.51). The 6-month exercise program was deemed to be cost-effective compared with usual care for the estimated aerobic capacity. Multicenter randomized studies with long-term costs and outcomes should be done to provide additional evidence. Clinical trial: The PASAPAS study is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov. Trial registration ID: NCT01331772.
Soy-based dietary supplements have been promoted as natural alternatives to menopausal hormone therapy, but their potential effect on breast cancer development is controversial.
We examined the ...relation between the consumption of soy supplements and the risk of breast cancer, overall and by tumor hormone receptor status, among women aged >50 y.
In total, 76,442 women from the Etude Epidemiologique aupres de Femmes de la Mutuelle Generale de l’Education Nationale (E3N) cohort, born between 1925 and 1950, were followed from 2000 to 2011 (11.2 y on average, starting at a mean age of 59.5 y; 3608 incident breast cancers), with soy supplement use assessed every 2–3 y. HRs of breast cancer were estimated with the use of multivariable Cox models.
Compared with never using soy supplements, the HRs associated with current use of soy supplements were 0.92 (95% CI: 0.76, 1.11) for all, 0.78 (95% CI: 0.60, 0.99) for estrogen receptor (ER)–positive, and 2.01 (95% CI: 1.41, 2.86) for ER-negative breast cancers. There was no association between past use of soy supplements and breast cancer. HRs for current use were 1.36 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.93) and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.65, 1.02) among women with and without a family history of breast cancer, respectively (P-interaction = 0.03) and 1.06 (95% CI: 0.87, 1.30) ≥5 y after menopause compared with 0.50 (95% CI: 0.31, 0.81) in premenopause or ≤5 y postmenopause (P-interaction = 0.04).
In this cohort of women aged >50 y, we report opposing associations of soy supplements with ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer risk. Our results also caution against the use of these supplements in women with a family history of breast cancer. Whether the risk profile of soy supplements could be more favorable among premenopausal or recently postmenopausal women deserves further investigation.
BACKGROUND: Coffee consumption has been associated with a lower risk of diabetes, but little is known about the mechanisms responsible for this association, especially related to the time when coffee ...is consumed. OBJECTIVE: We examined the long-term effect of coffee, globally and according to the accompanying meal, and of tea, chicory, and caffeine on type 2 diabetes risk. DESIGN: This was a prospective cohort study including 69,532 French women, aged 41-72 y from the E3N/EPIC (Etude Epidémiologique auprès de Femmes de la Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale/European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) cohort study, without diabetes at baseline. Food and drink intakes per meal were assessed by using a validated diet-history questionnaire in 1993-1995. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 11 y, 1415 new cases of diabetes were identified. In multivariable Cox regression models, the hazard ratio in the highest category of coffee consumption ≥3 cups (375 mL)/d was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.61, 0.87; P for trend < 0.001), in comparison with no coffee consumption. This inverse association was restricted to coffee consumed at lunchtime (hazard ratio: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.76) when comparing >1.1 cup (125 mL)/meal with no intake. At lunchtime, this inverse association was observed for both regular and decaffeinated coffee and for filtered and black coffee, with no effect of sweetening. Total caffeine intake was also associated with a statistically significantly lower risk of diabetes. Neither tea nor chicory consumption was associated with diabetes risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support an inverse association between coffee consumption and diabetes and suggest that the time of drinking coffee plays a distinct role in glucose metabolism.
Purpose:
Exercise has been shown to improve physical and psychological conditions during cancer therapy, but mechanisms remain poorly understood. The purpose of the present study was to report the ...results of cancer-related biomarkers and metabolomics outcomes from the PASAPAS feasibility study.
Methods:
In the PASAPAS randomized controlled trial, 61 women beginning adjuvant chemotherapy for localized breast cancer were randomized in a 6-month program of weekly aerobic exercises associated with nutritional counseling versus usual care with nutritional counseling. In the present analysis of 58 women for whom blood samples were available, first, circulating levels of biomarkers (ie, insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1, estradiol, adiponectin, leptin, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor α) were measured at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Changes in biomarkers were compared between exercisers (n = 40) and controls (n = 18) using mixed-effect models. Second, serum metabolites were studied using an untargeted 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and orthogonal partial least squares analyses were performed to discriminate exercisers and controls at baseline and at 6 months.
Results:
Over the 6-month intervention, no statistically significant differences were observed between exercisers and controls regarding changes in biomarkers and metabolomic profiles.
Conclusion:
The present analysis of the PASAPAS feasibility trial did not reveal any improvement in circulating biomarkers nor identified metabolic signatures in exercisers versus controls during adjuvant breast cancer treatment. Larger studies preferably in women with poor physical activity level to avoid ceiling effect, testing different doses and types of exercise on additional biological pathways, could allow to clarify the mechanisms mediating beneficial effects of physical exercise during cancer treatment.
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01331772. Registered 8 April 2011, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01331772?term=pasapas&rank=1
Postdiagnosis diet and alcohol consumption may be associated with cancer prognosis, recurrence and mortality. Our aim was to investigate food, nutrient and alcohol intake variations between before ...and after cancer diagnosis and their determinants in a prospective cohort. Subjects (n = 696) were incident cancer cases diagnosed in the NutriNet‐Santé cohort between 2009 and 2016. Food, nutrient and alcohol intakes were prospectively collected using repeated nonconsecutive 24‐hr dietary records since subjects' inclusion (i.e. an average of 2 y before diagnosis). Mean number of dietary records per subject was 5.9 before and 8.1 after diagnosis. All dietary data before and after diagnosis were compared by mixed models. Factors associated with the main dietary changes observed were also investigated using multivariable logistic regressions. We observed a decrease in intakes of vegetables (mean decrease in intake in patients who decreased their intake=‐102.4 ± 79.8 g/d), dairy products (–93.9 ± 82.8 g/d), meat/offal (–35.5 ± 27.8/d), soy products (–85.8 ± 104.1 g/d), sweetened soft drinks (–77.9 ± 95.4 g/d), and alcoholic drinks (–92.9 ± 119.9 g/d), and an increase in broths (42.1 ± 34.9 g/d) and fats/sauces (18.0 ± 13.4 g/d). We observed a decrease in energy intake (–377.2 ± 243.5 kcal/d) and in intakes of alcohol (–7.6 ± 9.4 g/d) proteins (–17.4 ± 12.5 g/d), and several vitamins (p < 0.05) and micronutrients (p < 0.05). Conversely, lipid (19.4 ± 14.6 g/d), SFA (9.3 ± 7.0 g/d), MUFA (8.3 ± 6.3 g/d) and vitamin E (3.9 ± 3.3 mg/d) intakes increased after diagnosis. This large prospective study suggests that cancer diagnosis is a key period for nutritional changes. It highlights some healthy behaviors such as a decrease in alcohol and sweetened drink consumption, but also less favorable trends, such as a decrease in vegetable consumption and in many vitamin and mineral intakes. These results provide insights to identify and target recommendations to put forward for better nutritional care of cancer survivors.
What's new?
Postdiagnosis diet and alcohol consumption may be associated with cancer prognosis, recurrence and mortality. In this study, the authors analyzed the socio‐demographic, economic, lifestyle and clinical factors associated with these dietary changes. They found that, while there was a decrease in alcohol consumption, there were a number of less favorable trends, such as decreased vegetable consumption and nutrient intake. These results offer insights to identify and target dietary recommendations to improve prognosis and quality of life for cancer patients.
Background Studies conducted in Asian populations have suggested that high consumption of soy-based foods that are rich in isoflavone phytoestrogens is associated with a reduced risk of breast ...cancer. However, the potential associations of other dietary phytoestrogens—i.e., the lignans or their bioactive metabolites, the enterolignans—with the risk of breast cancer are unclear. Methods We prospectively examined associations between the risk of postmenopausal invasive breast cancer and dietary intakes of four plant lignans (pinoresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol, and matairesinol) and estimated exposure to two enterolignans (enterodiol and enterolactone), as measured with a self-administered diet history questionnaire, among 58 049 postmenopausal French women who were not taking soy isoflavone supplements. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. Analyses were further stratified by the combined estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) status of the tumors. Statistical tests were two-sided. Results During 383 425 person-years of follow-up (median follow-up, 7.7 years), 1469 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed. Compared with women in the lowest intake quartiles, those in the highest quartile of total lignan intake (>1395 μg/day) had a reduced risk of breast cancer (RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.71 to 0.95, Ptrend = .02, 376 versus 411 cases per 100 000 person-years), as did those in the highest quartile of lariciresinol intake (RR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.71 to 0.95, Ptrend = .01). The inverse associations between phytoestrogen intakes and postmenopausal breast cancer risk were limited to ER- and PR-positive disease (e.g., RR for highest versus lowest quartiles of total plant lignan intake = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.58 to 0.88, Ptrend = .01, 174 versus 214 cases per 100 000 person-years, and RR for highest versus lowest quartiles of total enterolignan level = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.95, Ptrend = .01, 164 versus 204 cases per 100 000 person-years). Conclusions High dietary intakes of plant lignans and high exposure to enterolignans were associated with reduced risks of ER- and PR-positive postmenopausal breast cancer in a Western population that does not consume a diet rich in soy.