Dietary Fiber Intake and Endometrial Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nutrition Science
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Epidemiological evidence on the link between dietary fiber and endometrial cancer risk remains inconclusive.
• Clarifying this association is crucial for public health recommendations and cancer prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis to determine the association between dietary fiber intake and endometrial cancer risk.
• To synthesize findings from existing cohort and case-control studies.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed and ISI Web databases up to March 2018.
• Meta-analysis was conducted on data from 3 cohort and 12 case-control studies.
• Subgroup analyses were performed based on study design and fiber type.

Main Results:

• Case-control studies (11) indicated a significant negative association between total dietary fiber intake and endometrial cancer risk (OR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.64–0.89).
• Cohort studies (3) suggested a marginal positive association between total dietary fiber intake and endometrial cancer risk (RR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.00–1.49).
• A negative association was observed for vegetable fiber in case-control studies (OR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.58–0.94), while cereal fiber showed a positive association in cohort studies (RR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.03–1.52).

Conclusions:

• Case-control studies suggest that higher total and vegetable fiber intake are associated with reduced endometrial cancer risk.
• Cohort studies indicate a potential positive association between higher total and cereal fiber intake and endometrial cancer risk.
• Discrepancies between study designs highlight the need for further research to fully elucidate the role of dietary fiber in endometrial cancer.