Adolescent dietary phytoestrogen intake and breast cancer risk (Canada)

Objective It has been suggested that dietary phytoestrogen intake during adolescence may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. This population-based case–control study evaluated the association between adolescent dietary phytoestrogen intake and adult breast cancer risk among women in Ontario, Canada. Methods Pathology-confirmed, population-based breast cancer cases, aged 25–74 years, diagnosed between June 2002 and April 2003, were identified using the Ontario Cancer Registry. Population-based controls were recruited, and matched to cases within 5-year age groups. Adolescent phytoestrogen intake was obtained using a brief food frequency questionnaire (n = 3,024 cases, n = 3,420 controls). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Higher phytoestrogen intake (both isoflavones and lignans) during adolescence was associated with a reduced breast cancer risk, and a monotonic trend was observed from the lowest to the highest quartile (OR [Q2] = 0.91, 95% CI 0.79–1.04, OR[Q3] = 0.86, 95% CI 0.75–0.98, and OR[Q4] = 0.71, 95% CI 0.62–0.82, p-trend < 0.001). Conclusion Adolescent dietary phytoestrogen intake may be associated with a decreased risk of adult breast cancer. If verified, this finding has important implications with regard to breast cancer prevention since diet is a potentially modifiable factor.