Intake of dietary flavonoids and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The impact of different dietary flavonoid subclasses on risk of epithelial ovarian cancer is unclear, with limited previous studies that have focused on only a few compounds.

OBJECTIVE:

We prospectively examined associations between habitual flavonoid subclass intake and risk of ovarian cancer.

DESIGN:

We followed 171,940 Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II participants to examine associations between intakes of total flavonoids and their subclasses (flavanones, flavonols, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavones, and polymeric flavonoids) and risk of ovarian cancer by using Cox proportional hazards models. Intake was calculated from validated food-frequency questionnaires collected every 4 y.

RESULTS:

During 16-22 y of follow-up, 723 cases of ovarian cancer were confirmed through medical records. In pooled multivariate-adjusted analyses, total flavonoids were not statistically significantly associated with ovarian cancer risk (HR for the top compared with the bottom quintile: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.66, 1.09; P-trend = 0.17). However, participants in the highest quintiles of flavonol and flavanone intakes had modestly lower risk of ovarian cancer than did participants in the lowest quintile, although the P-trend was not significant [HRs: 0.76 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.98; P-trend = 0.11) and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.63,1.00; P-trend = 0.26), respectively]. The association for flavanone intake was stronger for serous invasive and poorly differentiated tumors (comparable HR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.50, 0.92; P-heterogeneity = 0.10, P-trend = 0.07) compared with nonserous and less-aggressive tumors. Intakes of other subclasses were not significantly associated with risk. In food-based analyses used to compare subjects who consumed >1 and ≤ 1 cup black tea/d, the HR was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.90; P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS:

Higher intakes of flavonols and flavanones as well as black tea consumption may be associated with lower risk of ovarian cancer. Additional prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.

• Authors: Aedín Cassidy, Tianyi Huang, Megan S Rice, Eric B Rimm, Shelley S Tworoger
• Journal: The American journal of clinical nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr) Vol. 100 Issue 5 Pg. 1344-51 (Nov 2014) ISSN: 1938-3207 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25332332 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Anthocyanins
• Flavanones
• Flavones
• Flavonoids
• Flavonols
• Tea
• flavan-3-ol
• flavone

Topics

• Adult
• Anthocyanins (administration & dosage)
• Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial
• Female
• Flavanones (administration & dosage)
• Flavones (administration & dosage)
• Flavonoids (administration & dosage)
• Flavonols (administration & dosage)
• Follow-Up Studies
• Humans
• Middle Aged
• Multivariate Analysis
• Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial (prevention & control)
• Ovarian Neoplasms (prevention & control)
• Proportional Hazards Models
• Prospective Studies
• Risk Factors
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Tea