Cholesterol and breast cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

The objective of the present study was to conduct the first systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies investigating the associations between total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and the risk of breast cancer. Relevant studies were identified in PubMed (up to January 2014). Inclusion criteria were original peer-reviewed publications with a prospective design. Random-effects models were used to estimate summary hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI. Distinction was made between studies that did or did not exclude cancer cases diagnosed during the first years of follow-up, thereby eliminating potential preclinical bias. Overall, the summary HR for the association between TC and breast cancer risk was 0·97 (95 % CI 0·94, 1·00; dose–response per 1 mmol/l increment, thirteen studies), and that between HDL-C and breast cancer risk was 0·86 (95 % CI 0·69, 1·09; dose–response per 1 mmol/l increment, six studies), with high heterogeneity (I 2= 67 and 47 %, respectively). For studies that eliminated preclinical bias, an inverse association was observed between the risk of breast cancer and TC (dose–response HR 0·94 (95 % CI 0·89, 0·99), seven studies, I 2= 78 %; highest v. lowest HR 0·82 (95 % CI 0·66, 1·02), nine studies, I 2= 81 %) and HDL-C (dose–response HR 0·81 (95 % CI 0·65, 1·02), five studies, I 2= 30 %; highest v. lowest HR 0·82 (95 % CI 0·69, 0·98), five studies, I 2= 0 %). There was no association observed between LDL-C and the risk of breast cancer (four studies). The present meta-analysis confirms the evidence of a modest but statistically significant inverse association between TC and more specifically HDL-C and the risk of breast cancer, supported by mechanistic plausibility from experimental studies. Further large prospective studies that adequately control for preclinical bias are needed to confirm the results on the role of cholesterol level and its fractions in the aetiology of breast cancer

Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence

Background: There is scepticism about health effects of dairy products in the public, which is reflected in an increasing intake of plant-based drinks, for example, from soy, rice, almond, or oat. Objective: This review aimed to assess the scientific evidence mainly from meta-analyses of observational studies and randomised controlled trials, on dairy intake and risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and all-cause mortality. Results: The most recent evidence suggested that intake of milk and dairy products was associated with reduced risk of childhood obesity. In adults, intake of dairy products was shown to improve body composition and facilitate weight loss during energy restriction. In addition, intake of milk and dairy products was associated with a neutral or reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke. Furthermore, the evidence suggested a beneficial effect of milk and dairy intake on bone mineral density but no association with risk of bone fracture. Among cancers, milk and dairy intake was inversely associated with colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, gastric cancer, and breast cancer, and not associated with risk of pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, or lung cancer,while the evidence for prostate cancer risk was inconsistent.Finally,consumption of milk and dairy products was not associated with all-cause mortality. Calcium-fortified plant-based drinks have been included as an alternative to dairy products in the nutrition recommendations in several countries. However, nutritionally, cow’s milk and plant-based drinks are completely different foods,and an evidence-based conclusion on the health value of the plant-based drinks requires more studies in humans. Conclusion: The totality of available scientific evidence supports that intake of milk and dairy products contribute to meet nutrient recommendations, and may protect against the most prevalent chronic diseases, whereas very few adverse effects have been reported

Comportements alimentaires des patients atteints de cancer ou en rémission dans la cohorte NutriNet-Santé : focus sur la prise de compléments alimentaires

International audienc

Comportements alimentaires des patients atteints de cancer ou en rémission dans la cohorte NutriNet-Santé : focus sur la prise de compléments alimentaires

International audienc

Opinions vis-à-vis de la consommation d’alcool chez les survivants du cancer : résultats de la cohorte NutriNet-Santé

National audienc

The Dietary Inflammatory Index Is Associated with Prostate Cancer Risk in French Middle-Aged Adults in a Prospective Study

International audienceBackground: Chronic inflammation is one of the mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis. Diet is a major source of pro- and anti-inflammatory compounds. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was designed to estimate its overall inflammatory potential.Objective: Our objective was to investigate the associations between the DII and overall, breast, and prostate cancer risks.Methods: This prospective study included 6542 participants [3771 women and 2771 men with a mean ± SD age of 49.2 ± 6.4 y and a BMI (in kg/m2) of 24.0 ± 3.6 at baseline] from the Supplémentation en VItamines et Minéraux AntioXydants (SU.VI.MAX) cohort who completed at least six 24-h dietary records during the first 2 y of follow-up. The DII was based on 36 food variables. Higher scores corresponded to more proinflammatory diets. A total of 559 incident cancers were diagnosed (median follow-up, 12.6 y), including 158 female breast and 123 prostate cancers (the 2 main cancer sites in this cohort). Associations were characterized by multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Stratified analyses were performed according to the median of usual daily alcohol intake.Results: Sex-specific quartiles of the DII were positively associated with prostate cancer risk [quartile (Q) 4 compared with Q1, HR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.06, 4.09] but not with overall or breast cancer risks. There was an interaction between the DII and alcohol intake (grams per day) on overall cancer risk (P-interaction = 0.02): the DII was positively associated with overall cancer risk in low-to-moderate alcohol drinkers (Q4 compared with Q1 HR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.68; P-trend = 0.02), whereas no association was detected in higher consumers of alcohol (P-trend = 0.8). This interaction was also observed for breast cancer (P-interaction = 0.001).Conclusion: Consistent with mechanistic data, findings from this study indicated that proinflammatory diets are associated with increased prostate cancer risk and, in low-to-moderate alcohol drinkers, with increased overall and breast cancer risk. The SU.VI.MAX trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00272428