Mate and Tea Intake, Dietary Antioxidants and Risk of Breast Cancer: a Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Oncology
• Dietary Science

Background:

• Previous research indicated an inverse association between mate intake and breast cancer (BC) risk.
• Antioxidant contributions were suggested as a potential mechanism for mate's protective effect.
• Further investigation is needed to clarify the relationship between mate, tea, dietary antioxidants, and BC risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To thoroughly explore the associations among mate and tea intake, dietary antioxidants, and breast cancer risk.
• To determine if the inverse association between mate and BC risk is influenced by antioxidant levels.
• To compare the effects of mate and tea intake on BC risk in relation to antioxidant consumption.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study combining two previous databases, including 572 breast cancer cases and 889 controls.
• Data collection involved a specific questionnaire on socio-demographic, reproductive, lifestyle variables, and a food frequency questionnaire.
• Statistical analysis used unconditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals, adjusting for confounders.

Main Results:

• The highest mate intake showed a significant inverse association with breast cancer risk across all strata of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonols, and reduced glutathione.
• High tea intake demonstrated significant inverse associations with breast cancer risk only in strata with high levels of carotenoids, vitamin E, and reduced glutathione.
• The inverse association between mate intake and breast cancer risk was independent of dietary antioxidant levels.

Conclusions:

• A strong, inverse association exists between mate intake and breast cancer risk, independent of dietary antioxidant levels.
• High tea intake also shows inverse associations with breast cancer risk, particularly evident at high levels of certain dietary antioxidants.
• Mate consumption may offer a protective effect against breast cancer, irrespective of antioxidant intake from other dietary sources.