Flavonoid-Rich Foods Linked to 15% Lower Breast Cancer Risk, Even in Women with High Genetic Susceptibility

A large prospective study drawing on data from 93,271 women in the UK Biobank (搜索)搜索该词条 has found that higher consumption of flavonoid-rich foods is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer (搜索)搜索该疾病, including among women with elevated genetic susceptibility. The findings, published in npj Breast Cancer, add to growing evidence that diet may serve as a modifiable factor in breast cancer prevention.

Over a median follow-up of 11.8 years, 3,110 incident breast cancer (搜索)搜索该疾病 cases were recorded. Women in the highest quintile of the Flavodiet Score (FDS)—a composite measure of intake across 10 flavonoid-rich foods—showed a 15% lower risk of breast cancer compared with those in the lowest quintile.

Flavodiet Score and Key Dietary Components

The FDS was constructed from consumption of tea, apples, oranges, grapes, berries, onions, sweet peppers, dark chocolate, grapefruit, and red wine. These 10 foods accounted for 93.7% of total flavonoid intake in the study population. Participants consumed a median of four servings of flavonoid-rich foods per day.

Among individual foods, higher intakes of oranges and apples demonstrated the strongest protective associations. At the flavonoid subclass level, higher consumption of flavanones (搜索)搜索该药品 and proanthocyanidins (搜索)搜索该药品 was inversely associated with breast cancer (搜索)搜索该疾病 risk, though the linear trend for flavanones did not reach statistical significance. Total flavonoid intake and other subclasses were not significantly associated with breast cancer risk in the fully adjusted model.

Because red wine was included in the FDS, the researchers conducted sensitivity analyses excluding it. The inverse association persisted, indicating that the observed protective signal was not driven by alcohol consumption. The authors explicitly noted that "alcohol consumption is not recommended for breast cancer (搜索)搜索该疾病 prevention."

Genetic Susceptibility and Joint Effects

The research team calculated a polygenic risk score (PRS) for each participant based on 168 single-nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with breast cancer (搜索)搜索该疾病 at genome-wide significance. Women with both a low FDS and high genetic risk faced the highest likelihood of developing breast cancer. Notably, females with high genetic risk who were in the highest FDS quintile had lower breast cancer risk compared with the high-genetic-risk, low-FDS reference group. The same pattern held for those with low genetic risk in the highest FDS quintile. However, the study did not identify a statistically significant multiplicative interaction between FDS and PRS.

Population Characteristics and Subgroup Findings

Individuals in the highest FDS quintile tended to be older, more physically active, and have lower body mass index (BMI), as well as higher household income and educational attainment compared with those in the lowest quintile. In subgroup analyses, younger individuals and never smokers in the highest FDS quintile showed reduced breast cancer (搜索)搜索该疾病 risk, as did participants with BMI at or above 25 kg/m² and those with higher alcohol intake not derived from red wine.

Limitations and Future Directions

The study is observational and cannot establish causation. The cohort was restricted to White British females, limiting generalizability to more diverse populations. The researchers emphasize that "further research is needed to corroborate the findings in diverse populations, clarify mechanisms, account for tumor hormone receptor subtypes, and evaluate the effects of flavonoid-rich dietary interventions."

The study was conducted by Yang R, Xu YL, Wang Y, and colleagues, and published under the title "Flavonoid-rich foods, genetic risk, and female breast cancer (搜索)搜索该疾病 risk: a prospective cohort study" in npj Breast Cancer.