A case-control study on the association between adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet and breast cancer

Previous studies on the association between diet and breast cancer are mostly from Western populations, and data from Middle East countries are scarce, where the prevalence of breast cancer is high; therefore, it ranks first among other cancers. This population-based case-control study aimed to investigate the relationship between a Mediterranean-style diet and breast cancer among Iranian women.

In the current study, 350 new cases of breast cancer and 700 age- and socioeconomic status-matched controls were enrolled. We evaluated the dietary intakes of participants by using a 106-item Willett-format semi-quantitative dish-based food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ). We calculated the Mediterranean diet score according to the dietary intakes of participants. In addition, using pre-tested questionnaires, we collected information on potential confounding variables.

In this study, we found a significant inverse association between the Mediterranean diet and breast cancer so that after controlling for potential confounders, individuals in the highest tertile of the Mediterranean diet score compared with those in the lowest tertile were 57% less likely to have breast cancer [odds ratio (OR): 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28-0.67]. Such an inverse association was also observed for postmenopausal women. Similarly, after controlling for potential confounding variables, high adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with lower odds of breast cancer (OR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.23-0.60). However, this relationship was not significant among premenopausal women.

We found that adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with reduced odds of breast cancer. Studies with prospective design are needed to further examine this association.