Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and the risk of stomach cancer

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Flavonoids have been suggested to be responsible for the potential beneficial properties of fruit and vegetables on stomach cancer risk. To provide further information on flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and gastric cancer risk, we analyzed data from a case–control study conducted in Italy. Subjects were 230 cases with incident, histologically confirmed gastric cancer and 547 frequency-matched controls, admitted to the same hospitals of cases for acute, non-neoplastic conditions. Subjects were interviewed using a reproducible and valid food frequency questionnaire. We estimated the odds ratios (ORs) of gastric cancer and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using unconditional logistic regression models including terms for major recognized gastric cancer risk factors. The ORs of the highest quintile of intake compared to the lowest were below unity for all classes of flavonoids, in the absence, however, of significant associations. Strong inverse relations were found for proanthocyanidins. The OR was 0.44 (95% CI, 0.25–0.76) for monomers and dimers combined and 0.36 (95% CI, 0.21–0.63) for polymers with three or more mers. Further adjustment for fruit and vegetables, or vitamin C, did not materially change these associations. This is the first epidemiological study to suggest that dietary proanthocyanidins have a favorable role on gastric cancer risk.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research (1997) Food, nutrition and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. American Institute for Cancer Research, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  2. World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research (2007) Food, nutrition, physical activity and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. American Institute for Cancer Research, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  3. La Vecchia C, Ferraroni M, D’Avanzo B, Decarli A, Franceschi S (1994) Selected micronutrient intake and the risk of gastric cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 3:393–398

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Lagiou P, Samoli E, Lagiou A et al (2004) Flavonoids, vitamin C and adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Cancer Causes Control 15:67–72

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Arts IC, Hollman PC (2005) Polyphenols and disease risk in epidemiologic studies. Am J Clin Nutr 81:317S–325S

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Garcia-Closas R, Gonzalez CA, Agudo A, Riboli E (1999) Intake of specific carotenoids and flavonoids and the risk of gastric cancer in Spain. Cancer Causes Control 10:71–75

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Sasazuki S, Inoue M, Miura T, Iwasaki M, Tsugane S (2008) Plasma tea polyphenols and gastric cancer risk: a case–control study nested in a large population-based prospective study in Japan. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 17:343–351

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Hernandez-Ramirez RU, Galvan-Portillo MV, Ward MH et al (2009) Dietary intake of polyphenols, nitrate and nitrite and gastric cancer risk in Mexico City. Int J Cancer 125:1424–1430

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. U.S. Department of Agriculture (2002) Iowa State University database on the isoflavone content of foods, release 1.3, 2002. USDA, Beltsville, MD

    Google Scholar 

  10. U.S. Department of Agriculture (2003) USDA database for the flavonoid content of selected foods. USDA, Beltsville, MD

    Google Scholar 

  11. U.S. Department of Agriculture (2004) USDA database for the proanthocyanidin content of selected foods. USDA, Beltsville, MD

    Google Scholar 

  12. Manach C, Scalbert A, Morand C, Remesy C, Jimenez L (2004) Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability. Am J Clin Nutr 79:727–747

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Lucenteforte E, Scita V, Bosetti C, Bertuccio P, Negri E, La Vecchia C (2008) Food groups and alcoholic beverages and the risk of stomach cancer: a case–control study in Italy. Nutr Cancer 60:577–584

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Franceschi S, Negri E, Salvini S et al (1993) Reproducibility of an Italian food frequency questionnaire for cancer studies: results for specific food items. Eur J Cancer 29A:2298–2305

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Decarli A, Franceschi S, Ferraroni M et al (1996) Validation of a food-frequency questionnaire to assess dietary intakes in cancer studies in Italy. Results for specific nutrients. Ann Epidemiol 6:110–118

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Salvini S, Parpinel M, Gnagnarella P, Maisonneuve P, Turrini A (1998) Banca di composizione degli alimenti per studi epidemiologici in Italia. Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milano, Italia

    Google Scholar 

  17. Gnagnarella P, Parpinel M, Salvini S, Franceschi S, Palli D, Boyle P (2004) The update of the Italian food composition database. J Food Comp Anal 17:509–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Liggins J, Bluck LJ, Runswick S, Atkinson C, Coward WA, Bingham SA (2000) Daidzein and genistein contents of vegetables. Br J Nutr 84:717–725

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Liggins J, Bluck LJ, Runswick S, Atkinson C, Coward WA, Bingham SA (2000) Daidzein and genistein content of fruits and nuts. J Nutr Biochem 11:326–331

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Liggins J, Mulligan A, Runswick S, Bingham SA (2002) Daidzein and genistein content of cereals. Eur J Clin Nutr 56:961–966

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Breslow NE, Day NE (1980) Statistical methods in cancer research. Vol. I. The analysis of case–control studies. IARC Sci Publ No. 32. IARC, Lyon, France, 5–338 p

  22. Willett W, Stampfer MJ (1986) Total energy intake: implications for epidemiologic analyses. Am J Epidemiol 124:17–27

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Ye X, Krohn RL, Liu W et al (1999) The cytotoxic effects of a novel IH636 grape seed proanthocyanidin extract on cultured human cancer cells. Mol Cell Biochem 196:99–108

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Bagchi D, Bagchi M, Stohs SJ et al (2000) Free radicals and grape seed proanthocyanidin extract: importance in human health and disease prevention. Toxicology 148:187–197

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Nandakumar V, Singh T, Katiyar SK (2008) Multi-targeted prevention and therapy of cancer by proanthocyanidins. Cancer Lett 269:378–387

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Das N, Pereira T (1990) Effects of flavonoids on thermal autoxidation of palm oil—structure activity-relationship. J Am Oil Chem Soc 67:255–258

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Hayes R, Bookwalter Q, Bayley E (1977) Antioxidant activity of soybean flour and derivatives—a review. J Food Sci 42:1527–1532

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Bors W, Michel C (1999) Antioxidant capacity of flavanols and gallate esters: pulse radiolysis studies. Free Radic Biol Med 27:1413–1426

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Pelucchi C, Tramacere I, Bertuccio P, Tavani A, Negri E, La Vecchia C (2009) Dietary intake of selected micronutrients and gastric cancer risk: an Italian case–control study. Ann Oncol 20:160–165

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Theodoratou E, Kyle J, Cetnarskyj R et al (2007) Dietary flavonoids and the risk of colorectal cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 16:684–693

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Rossi M, Negri E, Parpinel M et al. (2010) Proanthocyanidins and the risk of colorectal cancer in Italy. Cancer Causes Control 21:243–250

    Google Scholar 

  32. Cutler GJ, Nettleton JA, Ross JA et al (2008) Dietary flavonoid intake and risk of cancer in postmenopausal women: the Iowa Women’s Health Study. Int J Cancer 123:664–671

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Frankenfeld CL, Cerhan JR, Cozen W et al (2008) Dietary flavonoid intake and non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk. Am J Clin Nutr 87:1439–1445

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Shibata A, Parsonnet J (2006) Stomach cancer. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumeni JF Jr (eds) Cancer epidemiology and prevention, 3rd edn. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 659–673

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was conducted with the contribution of the Italian Association of Cancer Research (AIRC) and the Italian League against Cancer. The work in this paper was partially supported by ASSOMELA. Paola Bertuccio was supported by a fellowship from the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (FIRC). The authors thank Mrs. Ivana Garimoldi for editorial assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Epidemiologia, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy

    Marta Rossi, Valentina Rosato, Cristina Bosetti, Paola Bertuccio, Eva Negri & Carlo La Vecchia

  2. Dipartimento di Medicina del Lavoro “Clinica del Lavoro Luigi Devoto”, Sezione di Statistica Medica e Biometria “GA Maccacaro”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 1, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Marta Rossi, Paola Bertuccio & Carlo La Vecchia

  3. Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Athens Medical School, 75 Mikras Asias Str, Goudi, 11527, Athens, Greece

    Pagona Lagiou

  4. Unità di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Via Pedemontana Occ. 12, 33081, Aviano (PN), Italy

    Maria Parpinel

  5. Istituto di Igiene ed Epidemiologia, Universita’ degli Studi di Udine, Via Colugna 40, 33100, Udine, Italy

    Maria Parpinel

Authors
  1. Marta Rossi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Valentina Rosato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cristina Bosetti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Pagona Lagiou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Maria Parpinel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Paola Bertuccio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Eva Negri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Carlo La Vecchia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marta Rossi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rossi, M., Rosato, V., Bosetti, C. et al. Flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and the risk of stomach cancer. Cancer Causes Control 21, 1597–1604 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-010-9588-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-010-9588-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation