Fruits and vegetables consumption and the risk of breast cancer

Background: Breast cancer remains
a worldwide public health concern for
women of all ages. The disease
represents the second leading cause of
cancer death among women. Results of
most epidemiological studies have
demonstrated that diet high in fruits and
vegetables may protect against breast
cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this work was to
analyze the association between usual
consumption of fruits and vegetables,
intake of β-carotene and other vitamins
and breast cancer risk.

Material: This case-control study was
conducted between October 1997 and
October 1998 and was based on 257
women (median age 55.0±11.3) diagnosed
with histologically confirmed invasive or
in - situ breast cancer operated in the
Szczecin hospitals during 1999-2003.
Control subjects for this study (565
women, median age 52.2±12.2) were free
of any cancer diagnosis and were
frequency matched to case patients on
age and place of residence.

Methods: The subjects completed
self-administered detailed - structured
questionnaire including questions on
sociodemographic data, gynecological
factors (age at menarche, age at birth of
the first child, total number of full - term
pregnancies), lifestyle factors (lifetime
exercise/sports activity in leisure time,
alcohol use, consumption of fruits and
vegetables, experience of psychological
stress); anthropometric measures
(weight, height), physical activity at work.
Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence
intervals (CIs) were estimated by
multivariate logistic regression.

Results: Women who consumed fruits
and vegetables frequently (every day or
several times per day) had evidently
a lower risk of breast cancer than those
who consumed these products very rarely
(occasionally, once per month, several
times per month), OR=0.30; 95%
CI=0.18-0.50, P for trend<0.001. Likewise,
a clear association between consumption
of these products and breast cancer risk
in subgroups defined by body mass index
was found, whereas in subgroups defined
by leisure - time physical activity level the
association was evident only among
women determined as low and medium
physically active. Intake of vitamin C,
multivitamin, β-carotene was not
associated with breast cancer risk
reduction.

Conclusion: This study provides evidence
that frequent consumption of fruits and
vegetables may reduce breast cancer risk.