Abstract B98: Dietary fiber is associated with circulating concentrations of inflammatory markers among breast cancer survivors

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: An association between high intake of dietary fiber and low circulating concentrations of inflammatory markers has been suggested by previous research. However, epidemiological data from cohort studies of breast cancer survivors are sparse. Methods: We examined associations between dietary fiber and serum concentrations of CRP and SAA, among 698 female breast cancer survivors from the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study. Data are from an interview conducted 24 months after study enrollment. Multivariate-adjusted linear regression estimated the association of total, soluble and insoluble fiber with serum concentrations of CRP and SAA. Logistic regression estimated the odds of elevated CRP (defined as >3.0 mg/L) across tertiles of fiber intake. Results: Mean total dietary fiber intake was 13.96 ± 6.38 gm/day. Mean CRP and SAA were 3.32 ± 3.66 mg/L and 7.73 ± 10.23 mg/L, respectively. After controlling for potential confounders, including age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, physical activity, total caloric intake, alcohol consumption, fat intake, postmenopausal status, inflammatory-related diseases, medication use, disease stage and adjuvant treatment, we observed an inverse association between intake of total dietary fiber intake and CRP concentrations (β, −0.029; 95% CI, −0.049, −0.008). SAA was not associated with fiber intake (β, −0.002; 95% CI, −0.016, 0.012). Among the various fiber fractions of dietary fiber, only insoluble fiber was inversely associated with circulating concentrations of CRP (β, −0.039; 95% CI, −0.064, −0.013). The likelihood of elevated CRP concentrations was lower (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.30, 1.07) among participants who consumed >16 g/day total dietary fiber compared with consumption of 15.5 g/day of insoluble dietary fiber compared to those who reported <5.4 g/day with moderate significance (p = 0.053). Conclusion: Our results suggest that diets high in fiber may be of benefit to breast cancer survivors due to fiber's correlation with lower circulating concentrations of CRP, recently shown to affect breast cancer survival. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B98.