Co-consumption of Vegetables and Fruit, Whole Grains, and Fiber Reduces the Cancer Risk of Red and Processed Meat in a Large Prospective Cohort of Adults from Alberta's Tomorrow Project.

Katerina Maximova,Geraldine Lo Siou,Paul J Veugelers,Ala Al Rajabi,Elham Khodayari Moez,Alexa R Ferdinands,Julia Dabravolskaj,Irina Dinu

doi:10.3390/nu12082265

Katerina Maximova, Geraldine Lo Siou + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082265

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Jul 29, 2020
Citations: 12	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Zayed University, University of Alberta

Abstract

We examined whether co-consumption of red and processed meat with key foods items and food constituents recommended for cancer prevention (vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and fiber) mitigates cancer incidence. In a prospective cohort of 26,218 adults aged 35–69 years at baseline, dietary intake was collected through 124-item past-year food frequency questionnaire. Incidence of all-cause and 15 cancers previously linked to red and processed meat intake was obtained through data linkage with a cancer registry (average follow-up 13.5 years). Competing risk Cox Proportional Hazard models estimated cancer risk and Accelerated Failure Time models estimated time-to-cancer occurrence for different combinations of intake levels while considering mortality from vital statistics and established confounders. Co-consumption of low vegetables and fruit intake with high processed meat was associated with higher incidence of all-cause and 15 cancers (men: HR = 1.85, 1.91; women: HR = 1.44, 1.49) and accelerated time-to-cancer occurrence (men: 6.5 and 7.1 years and women: 5.6 and 6.3 years, respectively), compared to high vegetables and fruit with low processed meat intake. Less pronounced and less consistent associations were observed for whole grains and fiber and for red meat. The findings provide initial evidence toward refining existing cancer prevention recommendations to optimize the intake and combination of foods in the general adult population.

Highlights

Despite evidence that up to 35% of cancers are preventable by adherence to a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and regular physical activity [1], the prevalence of these modifiable risk factors is high [2,3,4]
We examined the co-consumption of adverse intakes of red and processed meat, vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and fiber and its impact on cancer incidence and time-to-cancer occurrence in a prospective cohort study that follows a general provincial sample of Canadian adults
Bolded numbers indicate statistical significance at p < 0.05. In this prospective cohort study of a general provincial sample of Canadian adults, we examined the co-consumption of adverse intakes of red and processed meat, non-starchy vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and fiber, and its impact on cancer risk and time-to-cancer occurrence

Summary

Introduction

Despite evidence that up to 35% of cancers are preventable by adherence to a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and regular physical activity [1], the prevalence of these modifiable risk factors is high [2,3,4]. The existing evidence focused on isolating the effect of individual food items and food constituents (i.e., red or processed meat) on cancer risk. In order to better capture the cancer risk associated with meat intake, there is a need to consider the role of potential synergies between the key food items and food constituents recommended for cancer prevention as part of a healthy diet. We examined the co-consumption of adverse intakes of red and processed meat, vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and fiber and its impact on cancer incidence and time-to-cancer occurrence in a prospective cohort study that follows a general provincial sample of Canadian adults

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Conclusion