Carbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective study

Abstract Background Carbohydrates have been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the specific impact of carbohydrate quality and quantity on CRC susceptibility in US populations remains unclear. Methods We followed 101,694 participants from Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer S...

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Main Authors: Yi Xiao, Ling Xiang, Yahui Jiang, Yunhao Tang, Haitao Gu, Yaxu Wang, Linglong Peng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-03-01
Series:BMC Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03325-y
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author Yi Xiao
Ling Xiang
Yahui Jiang
Yunhao Tang
Haitao Gu
Yaxu Wang
Linglong Peng
author_facet Yi Xiao
Ling Xiang
Yahui Jiang
Yunhao Tang
Haitao Gu
Yaxu Wang
Linglong Peng
author_sort Yi Xiao
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Carbohydrates have been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the specific impact of carbohydrate quality and quantity on CRC susceptibility in US populations remains unclear. Methods We followed 101,694 participants from Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. The carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and low-carbohydrate diet score (LCDs) were used to evaluate the daily carbohydrate quality and quantity separately, where higher scores indicated greater adherence. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compute HRs and 95% CIs for incident CRC and related death. Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify potential effect modifiers. Results During follow-up, we documented 1085 incident cases of CRC, of whom 311 died from CRC. Individuals in the highest compared with the lowest quartiles of CQI had a lower CRC incidence (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67–0.96, P trend = 0.012) and mortality (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44–0.86, P trend = 0.004). The inverse association between CQI and CRC risk was observed for distal colon and rectum but not for proximal colon cancer. Regarding mortality, this association was only significant for rectum cancer. Subgroup analyses indicated this inverse association of CQI with CRC risk was only observed in participants with lower LCDs. No significant associations were found between LCDs and CRC incidence or mortality. Conclusions Our findings suggest focusing on higher quality, rather than restricting the quantity, of carbohydrate consumption may be an effective approach to reduce the risk of CRC in the US population, particularly for distal colon and rectal cancers.
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spelling doaj.art-17cc2852b7a44ee39a25f13937c624702024-03-10T12:14:32ZengBMCBMC Medicine1741-70152024-03-0122111310.1186/s12916-024-03325-yCarbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective studyYi Xiao0Ling Xiang1Yahui Jiang2Yunhao Tang3Haitao Gu4Yaxu Wang5Linglong Peng6Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityDepartment of Clinical Nutrition, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityAbstract Background Carbohydrates have been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the specific impact of carbohydrate quality and quantity on CRC susceptibility in US populations remains unclear. Methods We followed 101,694 participants from Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. The carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and low-carbohydrate diet score (LCDs) were used to evaluate the daily carbohydrate quality and quantity separately, where higher scores indicated greater adherence. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compute HRs and 95% CIs for incident CRC and related death. Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify potential effect modifiers. Results During follow-up, we documented 1085 incident cases of CRC, of whom 311 died from CRC. Individuals in the highest compared with the lowest quartiles of CQI had a lower CRC incidence (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67–0.96, P trend = 0.012) and mortality (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44–0.86, P trend = 0.004). The inverse association between CQI and CRC risk was observed for distal colon and rectum but not for proximal colon cancer. Regarding mortality, this association was only significant for rectum cancer. Subgroup analyses indicated this inverse association of CQI with CRC risk was only observed in participants with lower LCDs. No significant associations were found between LCDs and CRC incidence or mortality. Conclusions Our findings suggest focusing on higher quality, rather than restricting the quantity, of carbohydrate consumption may be an effective approach to reduce the risk of CRC in the US population, particularly for distal colon and rectal cancers.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03325-yColorectal cancerCancer preventionEpidemiologyDietary patternCarbohydrate quality indexLow-carbohydrate diet
spellingShingle Yi Xiao
Ling Xiang
Yahui Jiang
Yunhao Tang
Haitao Gu
Yaxu Wang
Linglong Peng
Carbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective study
BMC Medicine
Colorectal cancer
Cancer prevention
Epidemiology
Dietary pattern
Carbohydrate quality index
Low-carbohydrate diet
title Carbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective study
title_full Carbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective study
title_fullStr Carbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective study
title_full_unstemmed Carbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective study
title_short Carbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective study
title_sort carbohydrate quality not quantity linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in us populations evidence from a prospective study
topic Colorectal cancer
Cancer prevention
Epidemiology
Dietary pattern
Carbohydrate quality index
Low-carbohydrate diet
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03325-y
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