Association of fermented products intakes with cancer recurrence and mortality among patients with breast cancer

Abstract

The present study determined the hypothesis that intake of fermented soy and dairy products but not fermented vegetable products were inversely associated with cancer recurrence and mortality in breast cancer survivors. Women (n = 606) who underwent breast cancer surgery and a dietary survey using 24-h recall were recruited and followed up for a median of 89 months. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that the risk of cancer recurrence was inversely associated with the intake of fermented soy products (HRs: 0.976, 95% CI 0.95-0.99) and fermented dairy products (HRs: 0.992, 95% CI 0.98-0.99). Furthermore, the risk of cancer recurrence was inversely associated with the intake of fermented soy products in patients with HR-positive (HRs: 0.296, 95% CI 0.11-0.79), ER-positive (HRs: 0.971, 95% CI 0.94-0.99), and PR-positive (HRs: 0.972, 95% CI 0.94-0.99). Mortality was inversely associated with the intake of fermented soy products (HRs: 0.967, 95% CI 0.93-0.99). Disease-free survival (P = 0.001) and overall survival (P = 0.004) were positively associated with the intake of fermented soy products. The intake of fermented vegetable products had no significant effect on cancer recurrence and mortality. The present study suggested that the intake of fermented soy and dairy could be beneficial for preventing cancer recurrence.