Fiber and Breast Cancer Risk

SUZHOU, China—A Chinese meta-analysis provided evidence of a significant inverse dose-response association between dietary fiber intake and breast cancer risk (Am J Clin Nutr. July 20, 2011). Using relevant studies from a PubMed database search through January 2011, 10 prospective cohort studies of dietary fiber intake and risk of breast cancer involving 16,848 cases and 712,195 participants were indentified. The combined relative risk (RR) of breast cancer for the highest compared with the lowest dietary fiber intake was 0.89, and little evidence of heterogeneity was observed. The association between dietary fiber intake and risk of breast cancer did not significantly differ by geographic region, length of follow-up or menopausal status of the participants. Omission of any single study little changed the combined risk estimate. Dose-response analysis showed that every 10-g/d increment in dietary fiber intake was associated with a significant 7-percent reduction in breast cancer risk. Little evidence of publication bias was found.