Abstract
Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between the dietary flavonoid intake and gastric cancer (GC) risk; however, the results remain inconclusive. Investigating the relationship between the different classes of flavonoids and the histological types and origin of GC can be of interest to the research community. We used data from a population-based multi-case control study (MCC-Spain) obtained from 12 different regions of Spain. 2700 controls and 329 GC cases were included in this study. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using the mixed effects logistic regression considering quartiles of flavonoid intakes and log2. Flavonoid intake was associated with a lower GC risk (ORlog2 = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.65–0.89; ORq4vsq1 = 0.60; 95%CI = 0.40–0.89; ptrend = 0.007). Inverse and statistically significant associations were observed with anthocyanidins, chalcones, dihydroflavonols and flavan-3-ols. The isoflavanoid intake was positively associated with higher cancer risk, but without reaching a statistical significance. In general, no differences were observed in the GC risk according to the location and histological type. The flavonoid intake seems to be a protective factor against GC within the MCC-study. This effect may vary depending on the flavonoid class but not by the histological type and location of the tumor. Broader studies with larger sample size and greater geographical variability are necessary.
Highlights
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most relevant malignancies
We found a similar proportion of flavonoid-containing foods consumed in both controls and cases, with the lower overall intake of each flavonoid subclass in cases
Our results suggest that the intake of total flavonoids could act as a protective factor in the development of gastric cancer (GC), reducing the risk between 24% and 40% (Q4vsQ1)
Summary
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most relevant malignancies. It is the fifth most common cancer and the third in the mortality ranking world [1,2]. The intake of fruits and vegetables has been shown to be inversely related to cancer risk [4,5,6]. A high intake of fruits and vegetables is recommended for cancer prevention [7]. One of these beneficial effects has been partially attributed to the high flavonoids content of these foods [8].
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