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Dietary cadmium and risk of invasive postmenopausal breast cancer in the VITAL cohort

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the study was to estimate the association between dietary intake of cadmium, a carcinogenic heavy metal, and risk of invasive postmenopausal breast cancer.

Methods

Study subjects were 30,543 postmenopausal women in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort who completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline (2000–2002). Dietary cadmium consumption was estimated by combining FFQ responses with US Food and Drug Administration data on food cadmium content. Incidence of invasive breast cancer was ascertained through linkage of the cohort to the western Washington Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry through 31 December 2009. Cox regression was applied to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for breast cancer with increasing dietary cadmium intake, adjusted for total energy intake, smoking history, consumption of vegetables, potatoes, and whole grains, multivitamin use, education, race, body mass index, physical activity, age at first birth, postmenopausal hormone use, and mammography.

Results

Vegetables and grains together contributed an average of 66 % of estimated dietary cadmium. During a mean of 7.5 years of follow-up, 1,026 invasive postmenopausal breast cancers were identified. Among 899 cases with complete covariate information, no evidence of an association between dietary cadmium intake and breast cancer risk was observed (aHR (95 % CI), highest to lowest quartile cadmium: 1.00 (0.72–1.41), p trend = 0.95). No evidence was found for interactions between dietary cadmium and breast cancer risk factors, smoking habits, or total intake of calcium, iron, or zinc from diet, supplements, and multivitamins.

Conclusions

This study does not support the hypothesis that dietary cadmium intake is a risk factor for breast cancer. However, non-differential measurement error in the estimate of cadmium intake is likely the most important factor that could have obscured an association.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Cancer Institute training grant R25CA094880 (SVA) and by a Cancer Prevention Fellowship from the Prevent Cancer Foundation, American Society of Preventive Oncology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology (SVA); National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements K05CA154337 (EW); National Cancer Institute K05CA152715 (PAN); and NIEHS R01ES019667 (PAN). Funding agencies played no role in the study or preparation of this report.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Cancer Prevention Program, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Scott V. Adams, Polly A. Newcomb & Emily White

  2. Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Box 357236, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Polly A. Newcomb & Emily White

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  1. Scott V. Adams
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  2. Polly A. Newcomb
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  3. Emily White
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Correspondence to Scott V. Adams.

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Adams, S.V., Newcomb, P.A. & White, E. Dietary cadmium and risk of invasive postmenopausal breast cancer in the VITAL cohort. Cancer Causes Control 23, 845–854 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9953-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9953-6

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