Nutrients (May 2021)
Dietary Methyl-Group Donor Intake and Breast Cancer Risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
- Heleen Van Puyvelde,
- Nikos Papadimitriou,
- Joanna Clasen,
- David Muller,
- Carine Biessy,
- Pietro Ferrari,
- Jytte Halkjær,
- Kim Overvad,
- Anne Tjønneland,
- Renée T. Fortner,
- Verena Katzke,
- Matthias B. Schulze,
- Paolo Chiodini,
- Giovanna Masala,
- Valeria Pala,
- Carlotta Sacerdote,
- Rosario Tumino,
- Marije F. Bakker,
- Antonio Agudo,
- Eva Ardanaz,
- María Dolores Chirlaque López,
- Maria-Jose Sánchez,
- Ulrika Ericson,
- Björn Gylling,
- Therese Karlsson,
- Jonas Manjer,
- Julie A. Schmidt,
- Geneviève Nicolas,
- Corinne Casagrande,
- Elisabete Weiderpass,
- Alicia K. Heath,
- Lode Godderis,
- Koen Van Herck,
- Dirk De Bacquer,
- Marc J. Gunter,
- Inge Huybrechts
Affiliations
- Heleen Van Puyvelde
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Nikos Papadimitriou
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France
- Joanna Clasen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary’s Hospital, London W2 1PG, UK
- David Muller
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary’s Hospital, London W2 1PG, UK
- Carine Biessy
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France
- Pietro Ferrari
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France
- Jytte Halkjær
- Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Kim Overvad
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Anne Tjønneland
- Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Renée T. Fortner
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Verena Katzke
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Matthias B. Schulze
- Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany
- Paolo Chiodini
- Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
- Giovanna Masala
- Cancer Risk Factors and Life-Style Epidemiology Unit, Institute for Cancer Research, Prevention and Clinical Network—ISPRO, 50139 Firenze, Italy
- Valeria Pala
- Epidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano Via Venezian, 1, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Carlotta Sacerdote
- Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, Città della Salute e della Scienza University-Hospital, 10126 Turin, Italy
- Rosario Tumino
- Cancer Registry and Histopathology Department, Provincial Health Authority (ASP 7), 97100 Ragusa, Italy
- Marije F. Bakker
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Antonio Agudo
- Cancer Epidemiology Research Program, Unit of Nutrition and Cancer, Institut Català d’Oncologa, 08908 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Eva Ardanaz
- Navarra Public Health Institute, 31003 Pamplona, Spain
- María Dolores Chirlaque López
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health CIBERESP, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Maria-Jose Sánchez
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health CIBERESP, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Ulrika Ericson
- Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University, 205 02 Malmö, Sweden
- Björn Gylling
- Unit Pathology, Department of Medical Biosciences, Umeå Universitet, 901 85 Umeå, Sweden
- Therese Karlsson
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Jonas Manjer
- Department of Surgery, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Lund University, Bröstmottagningen, 214 28 Malmö, Sweden
- Julie A. Schmidt
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 LF7, UK
- Geneviève Nicolas
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France
- Corinne Casagrande
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France
- Elisabete Weiderpass
- Office of the Director, International Agency for Research on Cancer, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France
- Alicia K. Heath
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary’s Hospital, London W2 1PG, UK
- Lode Godderis
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Koen Van Herck
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Dirk De Bacquer
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Marc J. Gunter
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France
- Inge Huybrechts
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061843
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 13,
no. 6
p. 1843
Abstract
(1) Background: Methyl-group donors (MGDs), including folate, choline, betaine, and methionine, may influence breast cancer (BC) risk through their role in one-carbon metabolism; (2) Methods: We studied the relationship between dietary intakes of MGDs and BC risk, adopting data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort; (3) Results: 318,686 pre- and postmenopausal women were followed between enrolment in 1992–2000 and December 2013–December 2015. Dietary MGD intakes were estimated at baseline through food-frequency questionnaires. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to quantify the association between dietary intake of MGDs, measured both as a calculated score based on their sum and individually, and BC risk. Subgroup analyses were performed by hormone receptor status, menopausal status, and level of alcohol intake. During a mean follow-up time of 14.1 years, 13,320 women with malignant BC were identified. No associations were found between dietary intakes of the MGD score or individual MGDs and BC risk. However, a potential U-shaped relationship was observed between dietary folate intake and overall BC risk, suggesting an inverse association for intakes up to 350 µg/day compared to a reference intake of 205 µg/day. No statistically significant differences in the associations were observed by hormone receptor status, menopausal status, or level of alcohol intake; (4) Conclusions: There was no strong evidence for an association between MGDs involved in one-carbon metabolism and BC risk. However, a potential U-shaped trend was suggested for dietary folate intake and BC risk. Further research is needed to clarify this association.
Keywords