The Association between Planetary Health Diet Index with the Odds of Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study

Fateme  Souni; Marzieh  Mahmoodi; Zainab  Shateri; Moein  Askarpour; Amirhossein  Asadi; Kimia  Leilami; Saba  Jalali; Zeinab  Heidari; Mehran  Nouri; Bahram  Rashidkhani

doi:10.18502/jimc.v8i2.17696

Fateme Souni Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Marzieh Mahmoodi Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Zainab Shateri Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
Moein Askarpour Students’ Research Committee, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Amirhossein Asadi Students’ Research Committee, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Kimia Leilami Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Saba Jalali Human Nutrition, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Zeinab Heidari Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Mehran Nouri Infertility and Reproductive Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
Bahram Rashidkhani Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jimc.v8i2.17696

Keywords: Biopsy, Breast neoplasms, Confidence intervals, Diet, Iran, Odds ratio, Postmenopause, Surveys and questionnaires

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Diet is recognized as an important factor in the prevention of cancer. No research has evaluated the association between the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) and breast cancer risk in the Iranian population. Therefore, the association between PHDI and breast cancer odds in Iranian women was examined in this study.

Methods: The present case-control study (n=134 cases, n=267 controls) was conducted in two hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Women aged 30 or older diagnosed with breast cancer through biopsy were included. In the current study, the participants’ food consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, a reliable and valid tool.

Results: A lower odds of breast cancer was observed in the last tertile of the PHDI compared to the first tertile in both crude and adjusted models [adjusted model: Odds Ratio (OR)=0.54; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.31-0.95]. In the subgroup analysis, based on the menopausal status, in the fully adjusted model, lower odds of breast cancer were found in the last tertiles of PHDI compared to the first tertile in the post-menopausal group (OR=0.38; 95% CI: 0.17-0.84).

Conclusion: The findings suggest an inverse association between higher PHDI scores and breast cancer risk. An inverse association between PHDI and breast cancer risk was also evident, particularly among post-menopausal women.