Associations of nutritional knowledge with dietary patterns and breast cancer occurrence

It is well-established that women's nutrition knowledge (NK) is strongly associated with children's nutritional outcomes. However, the association of women's NK with their own diet and health status, including cancer occurrence, remains unknown. This case-control study aimed to assess the associations of NK with dietary patterns (DPs) and breast cancer (BC) occurrence in peri- and postmenopausal women. Data were collected for 417 women aged 40.0-79.9 years from north-eastern Poland, including 189 BC cases. The Dietary Habits and Nutrition Beliefs Questionnaire (QEB) was used to assess NK. Based on the dietary data collected with a food frequency questionnaire (62-item FFQ-6), the three DPs were previously identified, and the Polish-adapted Mediterranean Diet (Polish-aMED) score was calculated. The odds ratio of BC occurrence was lower at the higher level of NK (16-25 points) by 49% (p = 0.0280) compared to the lower level of NK (0-12 points). A higher level of NK was associated with higher adherence to the 'Prudent' pattern and the Polish-aMED score, as well as with lower adherence to the 'Western' and the 'Processed plant fats and sweetened dairy' patterns compared to the lower level of NK. In conclusion, the high level of nutrition-related knowledge seems to be associated with pro-healthy food choices and cancer prevention. Due to the case-control design of the present study and potential reverse causation, there is a need to confirm the obtained findings in further longitudinal studies.