Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Concordance with World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) guidelines for cancer prevention and obesity-related cancer risk in the Framingham Offspring cohort (1991–2008)

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This prospective cohort study evaluates associations between healthful behaviors consistent with WCRF/AICR cancer prevention guidelines and obesity-related cancer risk, as a third of cancers are estimated to be preventable.

Methods

The study sample consisted of adults from the Framingham Offspring cohort (n = 2,983). From 1991 to 2008, 480 incident doctor-diagnosed obesity-related cancers were identified. Data on diet, measured by a food frequency questionnaire, anthropometric measures, and self-reported physical activity, collected in 1991 was used to construct a 7-component score based on recommendations for body fatness, physical activity, foods that promote weight gain, plant foods, animal foods, alcohol, and food preservation, processing, and preparation. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate associations between the computed score, its components, and subcomponents in relation to obesity-related cancer risk.

Results

The overall score was not associated with obesity-related cancer risk after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, energy, and preexisting conditions (HR 0.94, 95 % CI 0.86–1.02). When score components were evaluated separately, for every unit increment in the alcohol score, there was 29 % lower risk of obesity-related cancers (HR 0.71, 95 % CI 0.51–0.99) and 49–71 % reduced risk of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Every unit increment in the subcomponent score for non-starchy plant foods (fruits, vegetables, and legumes) among participants who consume starchy vegetables was associated with 66 % reduced risk of colorectal cancer (HR 0.44, 95 % CI 0.22–0.88).

Conclusions

Lower alcohol consumption and a plant-based diet consistent with the cancer prevention guidelines were associated with reduced risk of obesity-related cancers in this population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Silverberg E, Boring C, Squires T (2008) Cancer statistics 1990. CA Cancer J Clin 40(1):9–26

  2. Siegel R, Ma J, Zou Z, Jemal A (2014) Cancer statistics, 2014. CA Cancer J Clin 64(1):9–29

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research (2007) Food, nutrition and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. American Institute of Cancer Research, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  4. World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research (1997) Food, nutrition and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. American Institute of Cancer Research, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cerhan JR, Potter JD, Gilmore JM, Janney CA, Kushi LH, Lazovich D et al (2004) Adherence to the AICR cancer prevention recommendations and subsequent morbidity and mortality in the Iowa women’s health study cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 13(7):1114–1120

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hastert TA, Beresford SA, Patterson RE, Kristal AR, White E (2013) Adherence to WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations and risk of post-menopausal breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 22:1498–1508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Romaguera D, Vergnaud A, Peeters PH, van Gils CH, Chan DS, Ferrari P et al (2012) Is concordance with World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research guidelines for cancer prevention related to subsequent risk of cancer? Results from the EPIC study. Am J Clin Nutr 96(1):150–163

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Vergnaud A, Romaguera D, Peeters PH, van Gils CH, Chan DS, Romieu I et al (2013) Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research guidelines and risk of death in Europe: results from the European prospective investigation into nutrition and cancer cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr 97(5):1107–1120

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Dawber TR, Meadors GF, Moore FE Jr (1951) Epidemiological approaches to heart disease: the Framingham study. Am J Public Health Nations Health 41(3):279–281

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Feinleib M, Kannel WB, Garrison RJ, McNamara PM, Castelli WP (1975) The Framingham offspring study. Design and preliminary data. Prev Med 4(4):518–525

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Larson M, Atwood L, Benjamin E, Cupples LA, D’Agostino R, Fox C et al (2007) Framingham heart study 100 K project: genome-wide associations for cardiovascular disease outcomes. BMC Med Genet 8(Suppl 1):S5

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Rimm EB, Giovannucci EL, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, Litin LB, Willett WC (1992) Reproducibility and validity of an expanded self-administered semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire among male health professionals. Am J Epidemiol 135(10):1114–1126

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Jonker JT, De Laet C, Franco OH, Peeters A, Mackenbach J, Nusselder WJ (2006) Physical activity and life expectancy with and without diabetes life table analysis of the Framingham heart study. Diabetes Care 29(1):38–43

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Kannel WB, Sorlie P (1979) Some health benefits of physical activity: the Framingham study. Arch Intern Med 139(8):857

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. American Cancer Society (2014) Does body weight affect cancer? http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/dietandphysicalactivity/bodyweightandcancerrisk/body-weight-and-cancer-risk-effects. Accessed 10 Nov 2014

  16. National Cancer Institute (2014) Obesity and cancer risk. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/obesity. Accessed 10 Nov 2014

  17. Thomson CA, McCullough ML, Wertheim BC, Chlebowski RT, Martinez ME, Stefanick ML et al (2014) Nutrition and physical activity cancer prevention guidelines, cancer risk, and mortality in the women’s health initiative. Cancer Prev Res 7(1):42–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Pope S, Kritchevsky S, Morris M, Block G, Tylavsky F, Lee J et al (2007) Cognitive ability is associated with suspected reporting errors on food frequency questionnaires. J Nutr Health Aging 11(1):55–58

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Schatzkin A, Kipnis V, Carroll RJ, Midthune D, Subar AF, Bingham S et al (2003) A comparison of a food frequency questionnaire with a 24-hour recall for use in an epidemiological cohort study: results from the biomarker-based observing protein and energy nutrition (OPEN) study. Int J Epidemiol 32(6):1054–1062

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant (#RSG-12-005-01-CNE) awarded to Niyati Parekh, PhD RD. The Framingham Heart Study is conducted and supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in collaboration with Boston University (Contract No. N01-HC-25195). Funding support for the Framingham Food Frequency Questionnaire datasets was provided by ARS Contract #53-3k06-5-10, ARS Agreement #’s 58-1950-9-001, 58-1950-4-401, and 58-1950-7-707. This manuscript was not prepared in collaboration with investigators of the Framingham Heart Study and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the Framingham Heart Study, Boston University, or NHLBI.

Conflict of interest

The American Cancer Society did not have a role in study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing the report; and the decision to submit the report for publication. The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health Steinhardt School, New York University, 411 LaFayette Street, 5th Floor, Room 542, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Nour Makarem & Niyati Parekh

  2. Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, 683 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    Yong Lin & Elisa V. Bandera

  3. Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903-2681, USA

    Yong Lin & Elisa V. Bandera

  4. Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02111, USA

    Paul F. Jacques

  5. Department of Population Health, NYU Langone School of Medicine, 227 East 30th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Niyati Parekh

Authors
  1. Nour Makarem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yong Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elisa V. Bandera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Paul F. Jacques
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Niyati Parekh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Niyati Parekh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Makarem, N., Lin, Y., Bandera, E.V. et al. Concordance with World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) guidelines for cancer prevention and obesity-related cancer risk in the Framingham Offspring cohort (1991–2008). Cancer Causes Control 26, 277–286 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-014-0509-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-014-0509-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation