Common Misconceptions about Diet and Breast Cancer: Comparison
Please note this is a comparison between Version 2 by Catherine Yang and Version 1 by Paola Tiberio.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women. Diet significantly influences the development, progression, and prevention of breast cancer.

  • nutrition
  • sugar
  • soy
  • dairy product
  • breast cancer risk

1. Introduction

Breast cancer represents a significant global health concern, being the most frequent tumor in women worldwide. In fact, it affects millions of women, with 287,850 new cases estimated in 2022 in the United States [1]. In women, breast cancer incidence has been slowly increasing throughout the last years (approximately 0.5% per year from the mid-2000s), currently accounting for almost one-third of all new cancer diagnoses (followed by lung and colorectal cancers). This could be partially ascribed to the decline in the fertility rate and the overall increase in body weight. Nevertheless, thanks to advances in early detection, surgical techniques, and targeted therapies, mortality rates have continuously decreased throughout the last decades. Presently, the 5-year relative survival rate for breast cancer, encompassing all stages, stands at approximately 90%. However, an estimated 43,250 female deaths occur due to breast cancer in the United States every year [1].
In the quest to understand breast cancer causes, epidemiologic studies have unveiled a multitude of risk factors, which are defined as modifiable and non-modifiable. These factors include genetic predisposition, early menarche, delayed menopause, advanced age at first childbirth, reduced childbirths, limited breastfeeding, menopausal hormone replacement therapy, and lifestyle elements, such as alcohol consumption, excess body weight, and physical inactivity [2,3][2][3]. Notably, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines emphasize lifestyle choices like obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and sedentary living, alongside environmental exposures (e.g., pesticides or radiation) and dietary habits as relevant modifiable risk factors. Further bolstering breast cancer prevention, strategies advocate for regular physical exercise and maintaining a healthy weight [4,5][4][5].
Recent years have witnessed the identification of dietary proto-oncogenic factors that deserve attention [6,7,8][6][7][8]. Specifically, excessive alcohol consumption consistently emerges as a significant contributor to breast cancer risk [7,9][7][9]. Diets rich in saturated and trans fats, often found in red meat and processed foods, have also come under scrutiny for their potential role in elevating risk [8]. Remarkably, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer designates red and processed meats as probable and established carcinogens, respectively [9]. Conversely, embracing a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, brimming with antioxidants and protective compounds, has been associated with a reduced risk [10,11,12,13][10][11][12][13]. While these factors alone do not cause breast cancer, reducing alcohol and red/processed meat consumption and increasing fruit and vegetable intake can be valuable steps toward lowering risk and promoting overall well-being [14,15][14][15].

2. Sugar Intake

Recent years have witnessed a surge in interest surrounding the intriguing connection between sugar intake and the risk of breast cancer (Table 1), driven by the well-established association between weight gain and the incidence of breast cancer [17,18][16][17]. Outcomes vary depending on the menopausal status of participants. A comprehensive meta-analysis involving 14 prospective cohort studies [25][18], encompassing a total of 15,839 cases and 577,538 participants, delved into the relationship between glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) and breast cancer development. Surprisingly, it unveiled a dose-dependent protective effect when the GI was above 67 units/day (relative risk [RR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.09, p = 0.008). However, in a subgroup analysis evaluating menopausal status, a positive association between breast cancer development and GI was only observed in the post-menopausal setting (RR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00–1.13, p = 0.044) and not in the pre-menopausal one (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.95–1.17, p = 0.282). In contrast, a meta-analysis by Mullie P. et al. [26][19], spanning 12 cohort studies conducted from 2003 to 2011 and including a total of 773,971 women, showed a weak association between high GI and GL and breast cancer risk (RR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00–1.11 and RR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00–1.13, respectively). The results of their subgroup analyses indicated that there was no significant impact of menopausal status on this association. Pre-menopausal women (from five included studies) and post-menopausal women (from nine included studies) had comparable RRs for elevated GI and GL (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.86–1.27, and 1.05, 95% CI 0.98–1.13, respectively) and 1.23, 95% CI 0.75–2.00 and 1.05, 95% CI 0.97–1.13, respectively). Other studies reported the potential association between sugar intake and specific breast cancer subtypes. A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis [27][20], including a total of 892,403 women, showed a statistically significant positive association between estrogen receptor (ER)-negative subtype and 50 units/day of GL in post-menopausal women (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.08–1.52, p = 0.05). Shifting the focus to sugar intake from beverages, in a prospective study cohort examining 35,593 participants, the authors highlighted that the consumption of one to six sugar-sweetened soft drinks per week was positively associated with obesity-related cancers, including post-menopausal breast cancer (Hazard Ratio [HR] 1.21, 95% CI 1.03–1.43) [28][21]. Notably, artificially sweetened drinks failed to show a statistically significant link. Moreover, in a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis by Li Y. et al. [21][22], sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption exhibited a positive association with overall cancer risk (highest versus lowest category RR 1.12, 95% CI 1.06–1.19, p < 0.001), with subgroup analyses indicating this association in breast cancer patients (number of studies included: 7, RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.02–1.43, p = 0.027). In contrast, daily fruit juice intake displayed no statistically significant association with breast cancer risk (number of studies included: 3, RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.93–1.20, p = 0.375). However, the inclusion of only three cohort studies constituted the primary limitation of the meta-analysis. A prospective French cohort study [29][23] involving 783 cases highlighted that added sugar consumption was linked to a higher risk of breast cancer (HR for fourth quartile vs. first quartile 1.47, 95% CI 1.12–1.91, p = 0.02). This correlation was more pronounced in pre-menopausal patients (HR for fourth quartile vs. first quartile 1.95, 95% CI 1.24–3.06, p = 0.002 and 1.41, 95% CI 0.93–2.14, p = 0.05, for total and added sugar, respectively). In contrast, the trend observed in post-menopausal breast cancer patients was comparable but did not reach statistical significance. Adding to the complexity, the sources of sugar were also scrutinized in the NutriNet-Santé cohort, which enrolled 79,742 patients between 2009 and 2019. A statistically significant increase in breast cancer prevalence was observed in a dose-response fashion with sugary drinks (p = 0.002), dairy products (p = 0.01), milk-based desserts (p = 0.02), non-fruit dietary sources (p = 0.0007), solid foods (excluding sugary drinks; p = 0.003), and free sugars (p = 0.01) [29][23]. In a subsequent investigation of the NutriNet-Santé population, the authors observed that artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame and acesulfame K, were positively associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer (n = 979 cases, HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.01–1.48, p = 0.036, for aspartame and HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01–1.26, p = 0.007 for acesulfame K) [30][24]. In summary, the current body of evidence is still limited and equivocal regarding the possible association between high sugar intake and the increased risk of developing breast cancer. Well-designed prospective studies, clinical trials, and population-based research are imperative to unravel this intricate puzzle. Future studies should consider various types of sugars, their sources (natural vs. added sugars), dietary patterns, and other lifestyle factors. Furthermore, stratifying patients according to receptor status and menopausal status might help to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between sugar and breast cancer.
Table 1.
Main findings on the association between sugar intake and breast cancer development.

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