Abstract 626: Dietary glycemic load, glycemic index and risk of primary liver cancer: Results from the Shanghai women's and men's health studies

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Abstract Introduction Dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) have been observed to have a positive relationship with obesity and diabetes which are risk factors for liver cancer. However, studies assessing the association between GI, GL and liver cancer have yielded inconsistent results. We evaluated the association of GI and GL with liver cancer using data from two prospective cohort studies, the Shanghai Women's Health Study (SWHS) and the Shanghai Men's Health Study (SMHS). Methods The study population consisted of 72,906 women from SWHS and 60,203 men from the SMHS who had not been previously diagnosed with cancer, did not have extreme total energy intake as assessed by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and had complete data on all covariates of interest. Subject recruitment for the SWHS began in 1996 and for the SMHS began in 2002. Outcome follow-up data through December 31, 2009 from both cohorts were used in the current analysis. At baseline, a validated FFQ was administered and daily dietary GI and GL were calculated for each cohort member. These values were energy adjusted using the residuals method and categorized into quintiles. Confounders were assessed using data from the baseline questionnaire. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for the association between GI/GL and liver cancer incidence with adjustment for potential confounders. Results After a median follow-up of 11.2 and 5.3 years for the SWHS and SMHS, respectively, 346 incident liver cancer (ICD-9: 155) were identified. Women in the upper quintiles of GL intake were more likely to be older, have less education, have lower annual family incomes, be smokers, be post-menopausal, and were less likely to exercise, consume alcohol or have a history of diabetes or hepatitis. Men in the upper quintiles of GL intake were more likely to have less education, have lower annual per capita family incomes, and were less likely to exercise, to consume alcohol or have a history of diabetes. After adjustment for all confounders, no statistically significant trends were observed for men or women for the quintile of intake of GI or GL with the incidence of liver cancer (SWHS: GL p trend = 0.67, GI p trend = 0.11; SMHS: GL p trend = 0.64, GI p trend = 0.29). Similarly, no statistically significant trends were observed when the models were stratified by chronic hepatitis status (yes or no). Conclusions There is little evidence that GI or GL affect the incidence of liver cancer in this population. Further research about other modifiable risk factors for liver cancer is warranted. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 626. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-626