Background: Isoflavones and lignans (phytoestrogens) are dietary components with potential anticarcinogenic effects. Although the intake of isoflavones and lignans may affect breast cancer treatment and prognosis-and associations may differ by menopausal status-postdiagnosis intake data are limited. Objective: We aimed to describe postdiagnosis isoflavone and lignan intake in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, examine differences by menopausal status and phytoestrogen type, and inform the assessment of diet and survival in future prognostic studies. Methods: Our cross-sectional study included 278 women aged 25-74 y, diagnosed with pathologically confirmed breast cancer in April-May 2010 and identified using the Ontario Cancer Registry. Intake in the previous 2 mo was assessed using questionnaires listing 17 soy and 3 high-lignan foods (flaxseed, flaxseed bread, sesame seeds), completed 71 d after breast cancer diagnosis, on average. Food consumption by menopausal status was examined. Geometric mean and median phytoestrogen intakes were estimated among all patients and in consumers only; differences by menopausal status and phytoestrogen type were assessed. Results: Among all patients, foods were similarly consumed by menopausal status and isoflavone intakes were low (median: 56 µg/d). Consumers (n = 219) had higher intakes (median isoflavones: 1808 µg/d); 7% of isoflavone and 21% of lignan consumers had intakes ≥10 mg/d. Intakes were higher in premenopausal than in postmenopausal consumers, particularly for lignans, but were not significantly different (median lignans: 4375 compared with 1863 µg/d; P = 0.07). Lignans were significantly higher than isoflavones among most consumers (postmenopausal means: 746 compared with 100 µg/d; P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Postdiagnosis lignan intakes from 3 high-content foods may be considerable among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, yet they have been unassessed in previous prognostic studies. The inclusion of these foods in dietary assessment methods may improve future intake estimates and the distributions on which breast cancer survival analyses are based.
Link to Full TextCurr Dev Nutr., 2017, Dec 19;2(3):nzx009. doi: 10.3945/cdn.117.002063.
There are limited data on isoflavone and lignan intake among breast cancer patients, especially regarding postdiagnosis diet, when dietary interactions with treatment may influence cancer prognosis. Both isoflavones and lignans may alter the effectiveness of hormonal breast cancer treatment. The current study aimed to describe isoflavone and lignan intake in patients and examine consumption differences by menopausal status and phytoestrogen type.
Soy and high-lignan foods were similarly consumed by pre- and postmenopausal patients overall. Average isoflavone intakes were particularly low among all patients combined. Isoflavone, lignan, and total phytoestrogen intakes were higher among consumers than in all patients combined, and reached ≥10mg/d in a number of consumers. Although intakes were higher among premenopausal than postmenopausal consumers, especially for lignans, differences were not statistically significant. All consumers and postmenopausal consumers had significantly higher intakes of lignans than of isoflavones. Mean lignan intakes in post-diagnosis were 245–317 μg/d. The questionnaire included 3 foods with high lignan contents (flaxseed, flaxseed bread, sesame seeds), whereas others only included foods with relatively low contents. This cross-sectional study among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients found that isoflavone intake from foods was generally low. Lignan intake was higher than isoflavones in most consumers and may be greater in premenopausal than in postmenopausal patients. A number of patients consumed phytoestrogens—particularly lignans— at levels previously associated with improved breast cancer prognosis (≥10 mg/d). The findings also highlight the importance examining high-lignan foods (flaxseed, flaxseed bread, sesame seeds) in future breast cancer prognosis studies since their inclusion has the potential to improve dietary assessment and the intake distributions on which survival analyses are based.