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Finding
Finding
adverse
Higher dietary carbohydrate intake was associated with a significantly higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer in a dose-response manner, with the highest quintile showing a hazard ratio of 2.01 compared to the lowest quintile (95% CI 1.26-3.19, p for trend=0.001).
| Effect size | HR 2.01 (Q5 vs Q1) |
| CI | 95% CI (1.26, 3.19) |
| Comparator | Lowest quintile of energy-adjusted carbohydrate intake (median 257.5 g/day) |
| Effect summary | adverse; HR 2.01 (Q5 vs Q1); CI: 95% CI (1.26, 3.19) |
| Effect modifiers | [{"modifier": "menopausal status", "interaction_p": "p=0.001", "direction": "reverses", "stratum_details": "Premenopausal: HR 2.01 (Q5 vs Q1, 95% CI 1.26-3.19, p-trend=0.001); Postmenopausal: HR 0.98 (Q5 vs Q1, 95% CI 0.72-1.34, p-trend=0.549)", "plain_language": "The carbohydrate-breast cancer link was only real for women who hadn't gone through menopause yet. After menopause, carbs made no difference to breast cancer risk.", "annotation_notes": "Menopausal status treated as time-varying covariate in Cox model"}, {"modifier": "age (<50 vs 50+)", "interaction_p": "p=0.002", "direction": "reverses", "stratum_details": "Age <50: HR 1.72 per 50g (95% CI 1.28-2.31); Age 50-59: HR 0.83 per 50g (95% CI 0.66-1.05); Age 60+: HR 1.01 per 50g (95% CI 0.80-1.27)", "plain_language": "Only women under 50 faced higher breast cancer risk from eating lots of carbs. For women 50 and older, the amount of carbs they ate made no difference.", "annotation_notes": "Age treated as time-varying variable; p=0.012 in premenopausal subgroup"}, {"modifier": "BMI", "interaction_p": "p=0.590", "direction": "null", "stratum_details": "No significant interaction between BMI and carbohydrate intake on breast cancer risk (p=0.590 all women, p=0.334 premenopausal)", "plain_language": "It didn't matter whether you were heavy or thin -- the carb-cancer link was the same regardless of body weight.", "annotation_notes": "Unlike a previous study that found carbohydrate-cancer link only in overweight premenopausal women"}, {"modifier": "physical activity", "interaction_p": "p=0.788", "direction": "null", "stratum_details": "No significant interaction (p=0.788 all women, p=0.447 premenopausal)", "plain_language": "Being active didn't cancel out the effect of high carb intake on breast cancer risk.", "annotation_notes": ""}, {"modifier": "education level", "interaction_p": "p=0.295", "direction": "null", "stratum_details": "No significant interaction (p=0.295 all women, p=0.655 premenopausal)", "plain_language": "Education level made no difference to whether carbs affected breast cancer risk.", "annotation_notes": ""}, {"modifier": "age at menarche", "interaction_p": "p=0.151", "direction": "null", "stratum_details": "No significant interaction (p=0.151 all women, p=0.316 premenopausal)", "plain_language": "When you got your first period didn't change whether carbs raised your breast cancer risk.", "annotation_notes": ""}, {"modifier": "age at first birth", "interaction_p": "p=0.750", "direction": "null", "stratum_details": "No significant interaction (p=0.750 all women, p=0.854 premenopausal)", "plain_language": "How old you were when you had your first baby didn't change the carb-cancer link.", "annotation_notes": ""}, {"modifier": "benign breast disease history", "interaction_p": "p=0.506", "direction": "null", "stratum_details": "No significant interaction (p=0.506 all women, p=0.426 premenopausal)", "plain_language": "Having a history of benign breast problems didn't make the carb-cancer link any stronger or weaker.", "annotation_notes": ""}] |
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Source
PMC2630482
Dietary carbohydrates, fiber, and breast cancer risk in Chinese women