Flavonoid intake and risk of pancreatic cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study Cohort.

Background: Limited epidemiological studies show inverse associations between dietary flavonoid intake and pancreatic cancer risk, but results are inconsistent and are based on few cases. We examined the association between intake of flavonoids and pancreatic cancer risk in the large, prospective National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study Cohort.

Methods: During follow-up through 2006 (median follow-up 10.6 years), 2379 pancreatic cancer cases were identified. We used Cox proportional hazards modelling to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: We found no association between total flavonoid intake (Q5 vs Q1 HR=1.09, 95% CI: 0.96-1.24) or any flavonoid subtypes and pancreatic cancer risk. Significant interactions were not observed by age, sex, smoking status, BMI or diabetes.

Conclusion: Our results do not support the hypothesis that flavonoids have a protective role in pancreatic cancer carcinogenesis.