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High Glycemic Index Diets Raises Risk of Breast Cancer

Posted: Thursday, April 21, 2005

A diet with a high glycemic index value seems to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women who have ever used hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and who are not overweight, study results suggest. The association may be stronger among those who do not engage in vigorous physical activity.

Dr. Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, stated that, "Given evidence of a positive association between hyperinsulinemia and breast cancer risk, we felt it conceivable that this reflects an underlying association with high glycemic index diets.

While previous epidemiologic studies provide some evidence of an association between glycemic index and breast cancer risk, either overall or within subgroups defined by physical activity or obesity, the results have been mixed, she added.

Dr. Silvera and colleagues used a large prospective cohort of 49,613 Canadian women to examine breast cancer risk in association with overall glycemic index, glycemic load, and dietary carbohydrate and sugar intake -- both overall and across strata defined by menopausal status, BMI, physical activity, and HRT.

During a mean of 16.6 years, 1,461 women developed breast cancer.

In the overall study population, there was no association between the risk of breast cancer and glycemic index or glycemic load or sugar or total carbohydrate intake, the team reports in the April 20th issue of the International Journal of Cancer.

Menopausal status, however, modified the effects of glycemic index on breast cancer risk. "Among premenopausal women, the highest versus lowest quartile level of overall glycemic index was associated with a 22% reduction in risk, while among postmenopausal women, the highest versus lowest quartile level of overall glycemic index was associated with an 87% increased risk of breast cancer," the team reports.

The association between glycemic index and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women was slightly stronger among women reporting no vigorous physical activity, among those with a history of HRT use and among those of normal-weight.

Source: Diabetes In Control.com: