Types of carbohydrate intake and breast cancer survival

Associations between carbohydrate quality and the survival of, and life expectancy with lung cancer patient: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Evidence now suggests that carbohydrate intake quality rather than quantity contributes to improved cancer survival benefits.

METHOD

An adjusted Cox proportional hazard model was used to investigate associations between carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and LC survival. We evaluated whether carbohydrate quantity modified associations between CQI and LC survival. We also assessed the association between life expectancy and CQI in people with LC.

RESULT

Totally, 316 deaths occurred during a mean follow-up period of 30.02 months (standard deviation (SD) = 18.76). A higher CQI score was associated with significantly improved survival among patients with LC (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.60, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.44-0.81). Non-linear dose-response associations between CQI and LC survival were observed (P = 0.005). For CQI sub-indices, the higher solid/total carbohydrate ratio (HR = 0.68, 95 % CI: 0.48-0.96) was associated with better LC survival. Reversely, liquid carbohydrate intake (HR = 1.44, 95 % CI: 1.02-2.04) was associated with increased LC mortality. No significant interactions were observed between the CQI and carbohydrate quantity in terms of LC patient survival. At age 45 years, patients with LC who were in the highest tertile of CQI had an increase of life expectancy of 3.36 years (95 % CI: 0.57-6.16) compared with those in the lowest tertile.

CONCLUSION

High-quality carbohydrate intake was associated with improved LC patient survival. The protective CQI association with LC survival was mostly driven by the whole grain/total grain ratio.

The role of dietary sugars in cancer risk: A comprehensive review of current evidence

GOAL OF THE REVIEW

The objective of this review is to conduct a thorough examination of the current evidence regarding the correlation between dietary sugar intake and cancer risk. This will encompass the biological mechanisms, the diverse effects of various sugar types, and the potential implications for cancer treatment and dietary recommendations.

INTRODUCTION

Nutritional and epidemiological studies now focus much on the relationship between sugar intake and cancer. The data is still conflicting even if some studies imply that excessive sugar intake can help cancer develop by means of insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.

DISCUSSION

Through processes such as insulin resistance, inflammation, and angiogenesis, dietary sugars can impact carcinogenesis. Fructose increases angiogenesis by VEGF overexpression while glucose stimulates cancer cell growth by the Warburg effect. Contradicting data on the contribution of sugar to cancer emphasizes the need of consistent research techniques to simplify these dynamics. Reducing added sugar consumption in cancer prevention and management is especially crucial given that sugar affects immune function and treatment resistance, which could lead to new therapeutic targets.

CONCLUSION

High sugar intake is linked to mechanisms such as the Warburg effect, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation, which may contribute to cancer risk under specific conditions. However, the evidence is not universally conclusive, and additional large-scale, long-term research are required to better understand these processes. To help in cancer prevention and management, public health guidelines should emphasize reducing added sugar consumption and promoting a balanced diet rich in natural foods.

Dietary Approach of Patients with Hormone-Related Cancer Based on the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Estimates

Hormone-related cancers, namely breast, endometrial, cervical, prostate, testicular, and thyroid, constitute a specific group of cancers dependent on hormone levels that play an essential role in cancer growth. In addition to the traditional risk factors, diet seems to be an important environmental factor that partially explains the steadily increased prevalence of this group of cancer. The composition of food, the dietary patterns, the endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and the way of food processing and preparation related to dietary advanced glycation end-product formation are all related to cancer. However, it remains unclear which specific dietary components mediate this relationship. Carbohydrates seem to be a risk factor for cancer in general and hormone-related cancers, in particular, with a difference between simple and complex carbohydrates. Glycemic index and glycemic load estimates reflect the effect of dietary carbohydrates on postprandial glucose concentrations. Several studies have investigated the relationship between the dietary glycemic index and glycemic load estimates with the natural course of cancer and, more specifically, hormone-related cancers. High glycemic index and glycemic load diets are associated with cancer development and worse prognosis, partially explained by the adverse effects on insulin metabolism, causing hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, and also by inflammation and oxidative stress induction. Herein, we review the existing data on the effect of diets focusing on the glycemic index and glycemic load estimates on hormone-related cancers.

The association of macronutrient quality and its interactions with energy intake with survival among patients with ovarian cancer: results from a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence supports shifting the focus from the quantity of macronutrients to quality to obtain greater benefits for the prognosis of ovarian cancer (OC). Additionally, despite the high relevance between macronutrient quality and quantity, the interaction of these parameters on OC survival remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

A multidimensional macronutrient quality index (MQI) was applied to investigate the association between overall macronutrient quality and the survival of patients with OC.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study was conducted with 701 females diagnosed with OC who were enrolled from 2015 to 2020. Dietary intake information was obtained from a validated food frequency questionnaire. The MQI was calculated based on 3 quality indices: carbohydrate quality index (CQI), fat quality index (FQI), and protein quality index (PQI). Cox proportional hazards regression was conducted to calculate HRs and 95% CIs. Furthermore, we evaluated whether energy intake status (total energy intake and energy balance) modified the association between MQI and OC survival.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up period of 38 (interquartile: 35-40) mo, 130 deaths occurred. The prediagnosis high MQI scores were associated with substantially improved survival among females with OC (HR_{tertile 3 vs. tertile 1} = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.77). For sub-indices of the MQI, higher CQI (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.99), higher FQI (HR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.87), and higher PQI (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.94) scores were all associated with better survival. Notably, significant interactions were observed for the MQI score with total energy intake and energy balance as well as the quantity and quality of carbohydrates on survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Intake of high-quality macronutrients before diagnosis was associated with improved survival among females with OC, especially for those with energy imbalance. Am J Clin Nutr 2023;xxx:xx-xx.

Postdiagnosis dietary factors, supplement use and breast cancer prognosis: Global Cancer Update Programme (CUP Global) systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Little is known about how diet might influence breast cancer prognosis. The current systematic reviews and meta-analyses summarise the evidence on postdiagnosis dietary factors and breast cancer outcomes from randomised controlled trials and longitudinal observational studies. PubMed and Embase were searched through 31st October 2021. Random-effects linear dose-response meta-analysis was conducted when at least three studies with sufficient information were available. The quality of the evidence was evaluated by an independent Expert Panel. We identified 108 publications. No meta-analysis was conducted for dietary patterns, vegetables, wholegrains, fish, meat, and supplements due to few studies, often with insufficient data. Meta-analysis was only possible for all-cause mortality with dairy, isoflavone, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, alcohol intake and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and for breast cancer-specific mortality with fruit, dairy, carbohydrate, protein, dietary fat, fibre, alcohol intake and serum 25(OH)D. The results, with few exceptions, were generally null. There was limited-suggestive evidence that predefined dietary patterns may reduce the risk of all-cause and other causes of death; that isoflavone intake reduces the risk of all-cause mortality (relative risk (RR) per 2 mg/day: 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.92-1.02), breast cancer-specific mortality (RR for high vs low: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.64-1.07), and recurrence (RR for high vs low: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.61-0.92); that dietary fibre intake decreases all-cause mortality (RR per 10 g/day: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80-0.94); and that serum 25(OH)D is inversely associated with all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality (RR per 10 nmol/L: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.89-0.97 and 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.99, respectively). The remaining associations were graded as limited-no conclusion.

Plant-Based Diets and Cancer Prognosis: a Review of Recent Research

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Although plant-based diets are recommended for cancer prevention, their role in cancer survival is still uncertain. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the association between postdiagnosis plant-based diets and prognosis in cancer survivors.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is indication that higher intake of plant-based foods was associated with improved prognosis in cancer survivors. For colorectal cancer survival, a better prognosis was observed for a high intake of whole grains and fibre. For breast cancer survival, a higher intake of fruit, vegetable and fibre and a moderate intake of soy/isoflavone were associated with beneficial outcomes. A higher vegetable fat intake was related to improved prognosis in prostate cancer survivors. Emerging evidence suggests benefits of postdiagnosis plant-based diets on prognosis in cancer survivors. However, given the high heterogeneity between studies, further research in cancer survivors, considering clinical factors (e.g. treatment, stage) and methodological aspects (e.g. timing of dietary assessment), is needed.

Annexin-A1 deficiency attenuates stress-induced tumor growth via fatty acid metabolism in mice: an Integrated multiple omics analysis on the stress- microbiome-metabolite-epigenetic-oncology (SMMEO) axis

Background: High emotional or psychophysical stress levels have been correlated with an increased risk and progression of various diseases. How stress impacts the gut microbiota to influence metabolism and subsequent cancer progression is unclear. Methods: Feces and serum samples from BALB/c ANXA1+/+ and ANXA1-/- mice with or without chronic restraint stress were used for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and GC-MS metabolomics analysis to investigate the effect of stress on microbiome and metabolomics during stress and breast tumorigenesis. Breast tumors samples from stressed and non-stressed mice were used to perform Whole-Genome Bisulfite Sequencing (WGBS) and RNAseq analysis to construct the potential network from candidate hub genes. Finally, machine learning and integrated analysis were used to map the axis from chronic restraint stress to breast cancer development. Results: We report that chronic stress promotes breast tumor growth via a stress-microbiome-metabolite-epigenetic-oncology (SMMEO) axis. Chronic restraint stress in mice alters the microbiome composition and fatty acids metabolism and induces an epigenetic signature in tumors xenografted after stress. Subsequent machine learning and systemic modeling analyses identified a significant correlation among microbiome composition, metabolites, and differentially methylated regions in stressed tumors. Moreover, silencing Annexin-A1 inhibits the changes in the gut microbiome and fatty acid metabolism after stress as well as basal and stress-induced tumor growth. Conclusions: These data support a physiological axis linking the microbiome and metabolites to cancer epigenetics and inflammation. The identification of this axis could propel the next phase of experimental discovery in further understanding the underlying molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis caused by physiological stress.

Plant-based diet quality and the risk of total and disease-specific mortality: A population-based prospective study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Plant-based diets have been suggested to have health benefits, and risk differs by quality of plant foods. However, evidence on the association between the quality of plant-based diets and mortality are limited. This study examined the associations between 3 different types of plant-based diet indices and risk of total and disease-specific mortality.

METHODS

Analyses were based on a population-based cohort of 118,577 South Korean adults (40-69 years of age) who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study_Health Examinees (2004-2019). Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Based on the questionnaire, we calculated 3 plant-based diet indices: overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI). The PDI assigned higher scores for higher consumption of all plant foods. The hPDI assigned higher scores for higher consumption of only healthy plant foods. The uPDI assigned higher scores for higher consumption of only unhealthy plant foods.

RESULTS

During a total of 1,191,426 person-years of follow-up, we ascertained 3074 deaths, including 447 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 1515 deaths from cancer. Comparing the highest versus lowest quintiles of PDI, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of total mortality were 0.76 (95% CI, 0.68-0.85, P-trend<0.0001). Comparing the highest versus lowest quintile of uPDI, the hazard ratios were 1.30 for total mortality (95% CI, 1.15-1.48, P-trend<0.0001), 1.55 for cardiovascular disease mortality (95% CI, 1.08-2.25, P-trend = 0.06), and 1.23 for cancer mortality (95% CI, 1.02-1.47, P-trend = 0.06) after adjustment for demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors. For 10-point higher in PDI score was associated with 13% (95% CI, 0.82-0.92, P < 0.0001) lower risk of total mortality. In contrast, 10-point higher in uPDI score was associated with 16% (95% CI, 1.06-1.17, P < 0.0001) higher risk of total mortality with modest association with cancer mortality. No association was observed between hPDI and any cause of mortality. The correlation coefficients were 0.39 between PDI and hPDI, -0.22 between hPDI and uPDI, and 0.07 between PDI and uPDI.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, greater adherence to a plant-based dietary pattern was associated with lower total mortality, but among those with predominantly unhealthful plant-based diets, total and disease-specific mortality rates were higher. The quality of plant foods may be crucial for reducing mortality in a population that mainly consume diets rich in plant foods.