Despite the potential cancer preventive effects of flavonoids and
lignans, their ability to reduce pancreatic cancer risk has not been
demonstrated in epidemiological studies. Our aim was to examine the
association between dietary intakes of flavonoids and lignans and
pancreatic cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into
Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. A total of 865 exocrine pancreatic
cancer cases occurred after 11.3 years of follow-up of 477,309 cohort
members. Dietary flavonoid and lignan intake was estimated through
validated dietary questionnaires and the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and Phenol Explorer databases. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95%
confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using age, sex and
center-stratified Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for energy
intake, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol and diabetes status. Our
results showed that neither overall dietary intake of flavonoids nor of
lignans were associated with pancreatic cancer risk
(multivariable-adjusted HR for a doubling of intake=1.03, 95% CI:
0.95-1.11 and 1.02; 95% CI: 0.89-1.17, respectively). Statistically
significant associations were also not observed by flavonoid subclasses.
An inverse association between intake of flavanones and pancreatic
cancer risk was apparent, without reaching statistical significance, in
microscopically confirmed cases (HR for a doubling of intake=0.96, 95%
CI: 0.91-1.00). In conclusion, we did not observe an association between
intake of flavonoids, flavonoid subclasses or lignans and pancreatic
cancer risk in the EPIC cohort.
What’s new? Flavonoids and lignans found in plant-based foods are potent
cancer chemopreventive agents but little is known about their effects on
pancreatic cancer risk. Here the authors address this question in a
large prospective epidemiological study using comprehensively derived
dietary data. Their results support growing evidence that there is no
association between food-based consumption of both substances with
pancreatic cancer risk