Published in:
01-02-2020 | Breast Cancer | Epidemiology
Pre- and post-diagnostic intake of whole grain and dairy products and breast cancer prognosis: the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort
Published in: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment | Issue 3/2020
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Purpose
Fiber rich foods and dairy products have been suggested to be associated with breast cancer prognosis, though existing research is limited and either report on pre- or post-diagnostic dietary intake in relation to breast cancer prognosis. We investigated the associations between intake of whole grain (WG) and dairy products assessed both pre- and post-diagnostically in relation to breast cancer prognosis.
Methods
A total of 1965 women from the Diet, Cancer and Health cohort who were diagnosed with breast cancer between baseline (1993–1997) and December 2013 were included and followed for a median of 7 years after diagnosis. During follow-up, 309 women experienced breast cancer recurrence and 460 women died, of whom 301 died from breast cancer. Dietary assessment by food frequency questionnaires was obtained up to three times, pre- and post-diagnostic, over a period of 18 years. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios.
Results
No associations were observed between pre- or post-diagnostic intake of total WG or total dairy products and breast cancer prognosis. A high pre-diagnostic intake of oatmeal/muesli was associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.59–0.99), whereas high post-diagnostic intake of rye bread was associated with higher breast cancer-specific mortality (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.02–1.63). A generally high intake of cheese was associated with a higher recurrence rate.
Conclusion
Pre-diagnostic intake of oatmeal/muesli was associated with lower all-cause mortality, and post-diagnostic intake of rye bread was associated with higher breast cancer specific mortality.