Sucrose Intakes and Incident Colorectal Cancer Risk among Women

Abstract

Background

High sucrose intakes are hypothesized to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) risk by several mechanisms, and sucrose intakes have been consistently positively associated with CRC risk in case-control studies. However, all but one prospective study reported a null sucrose-CRC association. The only prospective study to report a positive association was the Iowa Women’s Health Study (IWHS) of 35,221 cancer-free Iowa women, aged 55 − 69 years old at baseline in 1986, after four years of follow up.

Materials and methods

To address the discrepant findings in the literature, after 26 years of follow up in the IWHS, we updated and expanded on our earlier reported analyses. During follow up through 2012, 1,731 women were diagnosed with CRC. Baseline dietary intakes were assessed with a Willett semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate adjusted hazards ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

For those in the highest relative to the lowest intake quintiles, the adjusted HRs (95% CI) for CRC were 1.04 (0.87-1.23; P_trend = 0.59) for sucrose, 1.00 (0.82-1.21; P_trend = 0.67) for sucrose-containing foods, and 1.01, (0.83-1.22; P_trend = 0.56) for nondairy sucrose-containing foods, respectively. These findings did not differ substantially by colorectal site or according to categories of selected participant characteristics.

Conclusions

Our findings do not support that intakes of sucrose or sucrose-containing foods are substantially associated with CRC risk among older women.

Keywords:

• Sucrose
• colorectal cancer
• prospective cohort studies

Discosure statement

None of the authors has a conflict of interest to disclose. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the National Cancer Institute or the Wilson P. and Anne W. Franklin Foundation. The National Cancer Institute and the Wilson P. and Anne W. Franklin Foundation had no influence on the analysis and interpretation of the data, the decision to submit the manuscript for publication, or the writing of the manuscript.

Authors’ contributions

Conception and design: Kiran, R.M. Bostick

Development of methodology: Kiran, R.M. Bostick

Acquisition of data: A. E. Prizment, D. Lazovich

Analysis and interpretation of data: Kiran, A. E. Prizment, D. Lazovich, X. Mao, R.M. Bostick

Writing, review, and/or revision of the manuscript: Kiran, A. E. Prizment, D. Lazovich, X. Mao, R.M. Bostick

Administrative, technical, or material support: A. E. Prizment, D. Lazovich

Study supervision: R.M. Bostick

All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request from coauthor DL. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health under Grant R01 CA039742, and the Wilson P. and Anne W. Franklin Foundation.