title: Fruits and vegetables and ovarian cancer risk in a pooled analysis of 12 cohort studies.
abstract: Because fruits and vegetables are rich in bioactive compounds with potential cancer-preventive actions, increased consumption may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. Evidence on the association between fruit and vegetable intake and ovarian cancer risk has not been consistent. We analyzed and pooled the primary data from 12 prospective studies in North America and Europe. Fruit and vegetable intake was measured at baseline in each study using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. To summarize the association between fruit and vegetable intake and ovarian cancer, study-specific relative risks (RR) were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model, and then combined using a random-effects model. Among 560,441 women, 2,130 cases of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer occurred during a maximum follow-up of 7 to 22 years across studies. Total fruit intake was not associated with ovarian cancer risk-the pooled multivariate RR for the highest versus the lowest quartile of intake was 1.06 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.92-1.21; P value, test for trend = 0.73; P value, test for between-studies heterogeneity = 0.74]. Similarly, results for total vegetable intake indicated no significant association (pooled multivariate RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.78-1.04, for the highest versus the lowest quartile; P value, test for trend = 0.06; P value, test for between-studies heterogeneity = 0.31). Intakes of botanically defined fruit and vegetable groups and individual fruits and vegetables were also not associated with ovarian cancer risk. Associations for total fruits and vegetables were similar for different histologic types. These results suggest that fruit and vegetable consumption in adulthood has no important association with the risk of ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koushik
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spiegelman
authors.forename: Kristin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Alan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.forename: W Lawrence
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Beeson
authors.forename: Piet A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: van den Brandt
authors.forename: Julie E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Buring
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cerhan
authors.forename: Graham A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Colditz
authors.forename: Gary E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Jo L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Freudenheim
authors.forename: Jeanine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Genkinger
authors.forename: R Alexandra
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Goldbohm
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hankinson
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: Susanna C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leitzmann
authors.forename: Marjorie L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McCullough
authors.forename: Anthony B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Alpa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Rohan
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schatzkin
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Walter C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wolk
authors.forename: Shumin M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Smith-Warner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D014675:Vegetables