Comparison of the Index of Nutritional Quality in Breast Cancer Patients With Healthy Women

Mojgan Behrad Nasab; Maryam Afsharfar; Mina Ahmadzadeh; Farhad Vahid; Maryam Gholamalizadeh; Saheb Abbastorki; Sayed Hossein Davoodi; Nazanin Majidi; Mohammad Esmail Akbari; Saeid Doaei

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.811827

Comparison of the Index of Nutritional Quality in Breast Cancer Patients With Healthy Women

Front Nutr. 2022 Mar 24:9:811827. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.811827. eCollection 2022.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Sport Science, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
³ Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Population Health Department, Nutrition and Health Research Group, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Strassen, Luxembourg.
⁵ Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁶ Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁷ Department of Nutrition, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
⁸ Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Al-Zahra Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract

Background: The index of nutritional quality (INQ) is derived from the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and is a method of quantitative and qualitative analysis of diet. This study aimed to compare the INQ for different dietary components between breast cancer (BC) patients and healthy control.

Methods: This case-control study was performed on 180 women with BC and 360 healthy women. Data on general characteristics, medical history, anthropometric indices, physical activity, alcohol consumption, reproductive history, smoking, and dietary intake were collected. A valid FFQ was used to assess the intake of nutrients and the INQ was calculated based on the daily intake of the nutrients.

Results: There was a significant association between BC and INQ of vitamin A (OR = 0.07, 0.01-0.29), vitamin E (OR = 0.43, 0.20-0.93), vitamin B6 (OR = 0.003, 0.000-0.021), riboflavin (OR = 0.25, 0.11-0.59), vitamin K (OR = 0.58, 0.37-0.90), biotin (OR = 0.07, 0.02-0.26), vitamin B12 (OR = 0.32, 0.18-0.56), vitamin C (OR = 0.72, 0.55-0.95), zinc (OR = 0.020, 0.005-0.083), calcium (OR = 0.14, 0.04-0.54) and magnesium (OR = 0.003, 0.000-0.024). Further adjustment for BMI disappeared the association between INQ of vitamin C and BC. The results did not change after further adjustments for waist circumstance and total calorie intake.

Conclusion: A significant association was observed between BC and the INQ of vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B6, riboflavin, vitamin K, biotin, vitamin B12, vitamin C, zinc, calcium, and magnesium. The INQ can be used as an indicator in assessing clinical nutrition-related problems. Future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these results.

Keywords: breast; breast cancer; cancer; dietary intake; the index of nutritional quality.