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Cited by 109Cancer Risks and FactorsNutritional Studies and DietNutrition and Health Studies

Specialty supplements and breast cancer risk in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort

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Brasky, Theodore M., Lampe, Johanna W., Potter, John D., Patterson, Ruth E., White, Emily·2010·Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
DOI 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-10-0318PMC PMC2906099
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Abstract

Background: Use of nonvitamin, nonmineral “specialty” supplements has increased substantially over recent decades. Several supplements may have anti-inflammatory or anticancer properties. Additionally, supplements taken for symptoms of menopause have been associated with reduced risk of breast cancer in two case-control studies. However, there have been no prospective studies of the association between the long-term use of these supplements and breast cancer risk. Methods: Participants were female members of the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort. Postmenopausal women, ages 50 to 76 years, who were residents of western Washington State, completed a 24-page baseline questionnaire in 2000 to 2002 (n = 35,016). Participants were queried on their recency (current versus past), frequency (days/week), and duration (years) of specialty supplement use. Incident invasive breast cancers (n = 880) from 2000 to 2007 were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Multivariable-adjusted hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Current use of fish oil was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50-0.92). Ten-year average use was suggestive of reduced risk (P trend = 0.09). These results held for ductal but not lobular cancers. The remaining specialty supplements were not associated with breast cancer risk: Specifically, use of supplements sometimes taken for menopausal symptoms (black cohosh, dong quai, soy, or St. John's wort) was not associated with risk. Conclusions: Fish oil may be inversely associated with breast cancer risk. Impact: Fish oil is a potential candidate for chemoprevention studies. Until that time, it is not recommended for individual use for breast cancer prevention. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(7); 1696–708. ©2010 AACR.

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  • Of 11 prospective cohort studies reporting on risk of primary breast cancer, one (9%) showed soy isoflavone intake was associated with overall reduced risk, while the remaining studies showed no associations.

    “Of 11 studies reporting on risk of primary breast cancer, one (9%) showed that soy isoflavone intake was associated with overall reduced risk of breast cancer [116], while the remaining studies showed no associations [99,104,105,107-109,111,113-115,117].”

    From Soy, Red Clover, and Isoflavones and Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review (2013) · cites this paper as [99]

    The Abstract Results and Results sections report no association between soy-containing supplement use and breast cancer risk, supporting this paper's place among the studies cited for a null finding. The study measured soy supplement use, however, not soy isoflavone intake specifically, so it does not fully support that description of the exposure. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Brasky, T. M., Lampe, J. W., Potter, J. D., Patterson, R. E., & White, E.
Affiliations
University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Brasky, Theodore M.
ORCID
Venue
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Publisher
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Published
2010-07-01
Volume
19
Issue
7
Pages
1696-1708
ISSN
  • 1055-9965 (ISSN-L)
  • 1538-7755
DOI
10.1158/1055-9965.epi-10-0318
PMC
PMC2906099
OpenAlex
W2114577231
Cited by
109
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 11
FWCI
5.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Cancer Institute (R01CA142545, R25CA094880)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Risks and Factors
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutrition and Health Studies
Keywords
breast cancer risk, fish oil, menopausal symptoms, black cohosh, Angelica sinensis, Hypericum perforatum, chemoprevention, postmenopausal women, breast ductal carcinoma
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Breast Neoplasms, Female, Fish Oils, Humans, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Washington, Cohort Studies, Dietary Supplements

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