Fruits and vegetables and ovarian cancer risk in a pooled analysis of 12 cohort studies.
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.
Koushik
Anita
A
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Hunter
David J
DJ
Spiegelman
Donna
D
Anderson
Kristin E
KE
Arslan
Alan A
AA
Beeson
W Lawrence
WL
van den Brandt
Piet A
PA
Buring
Julie E
JE
Cerhan
James R
JR
Colditz
Graham A
GA
Fraser
Gary E
GE
Freudenheim
Jo L
JL
Genkinger
Jeanine M
JM
Goldbohm
R Alexandra
RA
Hankinson
Susan E
SE
Koenig
Karen L
KL
Larsson
Susanna C
SC
Leitzmann
Michael
M
McCullough
Marjorie L
ML
Miller
Anthony B
AB
Patel
Alpa
A
Rohan
Thomas E
TE
Schatzkin
Arthur
A
Smit
Ellen
E
Willett
Walter C
WC
Wolk
Alicja
A
Zhang
Shumin M
SM
Smith-Warner
Stephanie A
SA
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