Intake of the Total, Classes, and Subclasses of (Poly)phenols and Breast Cancer Risk: A Prospective Analysis of the EPIC Study

Polyphenols represent the largest and most diverse class of dietary antioxidants. Epidemiological evidence linking specific (poly)phenol classes, such as flavonoids and lignans, to breast cancer (BC) risk remains limited and largely inconclusive in prospective studies. The aim of this study is to examine the association between the intake of total (poly)phenols-and its classes and subclasses-and BC risk-overall and by subtypes (estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2))-in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. The EPIC cohort includes 257,960 adult women from seven European countries. During a mean follow-up of 14 years, there were 10,722 incident overall BC cases. Associations were computed using Cox regression models adjusted for potential confounders. No significant associations were found between total (poly)phenol intake and overall BC risk (HR<sub>Q5 vs. Q1</sub> = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.95-1.11). In addition, null associations were mostly found between classes and subclasses of (poly)phenols and BC subtypes. After stratifying by menopausal status, no significant associations were observed. In conclusion, this study found no evidence of associations between the intake of any class or subclass of (poly)phenols and BC risk in the European population.

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Publication Details

Journal
Antioxidants
Published
2026-03-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15030342
Primary Topic
Phytoestrogen effects and research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Intake of the Total, Classes, and Subclasses of (Poly)phenols and Breast Cancer Risk: A Prospective Analysis of the EPIC Study

Simona Signoriello, Claire Cadeau, Daniel Guiñón-Fort, Claudia Agnoli et al.
Antioxidants
Phytoestrogen effects and research
article

Intake of the Total, Classes, and Subclasses of (Poly)phenols and Breast Cancer Risk: A Prospective Analysis of the EPIC Study

Simona Signoriello, Claire Cadeau, Daniel Guiñón-Fort, Claudia Agnoli, Matthias Bernd Schulze, Cristina Lasheras, Lisa Padroni, Giovanna Masala, David Seoane-Miraz, Rashmita Bajracharya, Francesca Romana Mancini, Amaia Aizpurua Atxega, Christina C. Dahm, Anne Marie Tjønneland, Mariem Louati-Hajji, Enrique Almanza-Aguilera, Raúl Zamora-Ros, María-José Sánchez, Alba Gasque, Verena Katzke, Christina M. Lill, Sandra M. Colorado-Yohar, Yahya Mahamat Saleh, Marta Farràs, María Fernanda López-Padilla, Wing Ching Chan
article en

Abstract

Polyphenols represent the largest and most diverse class of dietary antioxidants. Epidemiological evidence linking specific (poly)phenol classes, such as flavonoids and lignans, to breast cancer (BC) risk remains limited and largely inconclusive in prospective studies. The aim of this study is to examine the association between the intake of total (poly)phenols-and its classes and subclasses-and BC risk-overall and by subtypes (estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2))-in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. The EPIC cohort includes 257,960 adult women from seven European countries. During a mean follow-up of 14 years, there were 10,722 incident overall BC cases. Associations were computed using Cox regression models adjusted for potential confounders. No significant associations were found between total (poly)phenol intake and overall BC risk (HR<sub>Q5 vs. Q1</sub> = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.95-1.11). In addition, null associations were mostly found between classes and subclasses of (poly)phenols and BC subtypes. After stratifying by menopausal status, no significant associations were observed. In conclusion, this study found no evidence of associations between the intake of any class or subclass of (poly)phenols and BC risk in the European population.

AntioxidantsVol. 15(3)
Université Paris-Sud (FR), Inserm (FR), Universidad de Oviedo (ES), University of Potsdam (DE), German Cancer Research Center (DE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR), Aarhus University (DK), Heidelberg University (DE), University of Münster (DE), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Basque Government (ES), Prevention Institute (US), Bellvitge University Hospital (ES), Universidad de Antioquia (CO), University of Oxford (GB), Instituto de Salud Pública de Navarra (ES), Centre de recherche en Epidémiologie et Santé des Populations (FR), Institut Català d'Oncologia (ES), Navarre Institute of Health Research (ES), Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ES), Policlínica Gipuzkoa (ES), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT), Onkologikoa (ES), Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (ES), Danish Cancer Society (DK), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (ES), Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (IT), German Institute of Human Nutrition (DE), Centre international de recherche sur le cancer (FR), Imperial College London (GB), University of Turin (IT), Andalusian School of Public Health (ES), Universitat de Barcelona (ES)
Universiteit Utrecht, Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 30%
Phytoestrogen effects and research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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