Protein intake tied to modest survival advantage in breast CA

(HealthDay)—For women with breast cancer, higher intake of protein is associated with a modest survival advantage, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Michelle D. Holmes, M.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined data from 6,348 women diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer between 1976 and 2004, with 1,046 distant recurrences. The authors calculated the relative risks for recurrence according to quintiles of post-diagnostic diet based on follow-up until 2010.

The researchers found that energy-adjusted protein intake was inversely associated with recurrence. Compared with the lowest quintile of intake, multivariable relative risks for increasing quintiles of intake were 0.95 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 1.15), 0.92 (95 percent CI, 0.76 to 1.11), 0.75 (95 percent CI, 0.61 to 0.91), and 0.84 (95 percent CI, 0.69 to 1.03), respectively (P trend = 0.02). The corresponding relative risks were 0.88 (95 percent CI, 0.73 to 1.06), 0.85 (95 percent CI, 0.70 to 1.02), 0.75 (95 percent CI, 0.62 to 0.92), and 0.78 (95 percent CI, 0.63 to 0.95) (P trend = 0.003) for animal protein intake. The association was not affected by insulin receptor status. There was no clear correlation seen for any protein-containing foods.

"Our data suggest that there is likely no advantage for women with a history of breast cancer in restricting protein intake or protein-containing foods," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.