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Table 4 Prospective Studies of Folate and Breast Cancer.

From: Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet

Reference

Study

# Cases

# Controls

Outcomes

Comment

[214]

Nurses' Health Study

3,483

 

↓folate intake + alcohol = ↑risk of breast cancer (OR = 0.55, P-trend = 0.001)

Folate intake not associated with overall risk of breast cancer

[215]

Canadian National Breast Screening Study

1,336

5,382

↓folate intake + alcohol = ↑risk of breast cancer (OR = 0.34, P-trend = 0.004)

Folate intake not associated with overall risk of breast cancer

[216]

Prospective study in USA with postmenopausal women

1,586

 

Among drinkers, ↓folate intake = ↑breast cancer risk (OR = 1.59)

No association in overall cohort

[125]

Shanghai Breast Cancer Study, China

1,321

1,382

↑folate intake = ↓ risk (OR = 0.71, P-trend = 0.05); ↑folate, ↑methionine, ↑B6, ↑B12 = ↓risk (OR = 0.47, P-trend = 0.01)

No alcohol, no supplements, unprocessed, unfortified foods

[217]

Nurses' Health Study II, study of premenopausal women

714

 

Vitamin A protective (OR = 0.28); Vitamins C, E, and folate not associated with risk.

 

[118]

Nurses' Health Study

712

712 matched

↑plasma folate = ↓risk (OR = 0.73, P-trend = 0.06). For women who drank alcohol, ↑plasma folate even more protective, OR = 0.11.

↑plasma B6 and plasma B12 were also protective

[218]

Prospective study in USA with postmenopausal women

1,823, 308 with family history (FH)

 

FH- +Alcohol = ↑risk (OR = 1.40) FH- + Alcohol + ↑folate = normal risk; FH+ ↓folate = ↑risk for drinkers (OR = 2.21) and non-drinkers (OR = 2.39); FH+ +Alcohol + ↑folate = ↑risk (OR = 1.67); FH+ + ↑folate = normal risk

Women with family history of breast cancer can reduce risk by increasing folate intake and not drinking.

  1. FH = Family History