Flavonoids and breast cancer risk in Italy.

Adequate intake of flavonol- and flavone-rich foods may help guard against breast cancer development.

This study investigated the correlation between regular ingestion of flavonoid-rich foods and the incidence of breast cancer among Italian women. Researchers examined the flavone, anthocyanidine, isoflavone, flavanone, flavonol, and flavan-3-ol intake of 5,157 subjects for a duration of 4 years. The relative risk of breast cancer was also determined in each of the participant in this study.

Researchers observed that subjects with high intake of diets rich in flavonols and flavones had lower breast cancer odds than those who rarely or did not consume these types of foods. However, high consumption of isoflavone-, anthocyanidine-, flavan-3-ol-, and flavanone-rich foods was found to have little or no effect on breast cancer risk in this study. The results of this study indicate that generous intake of diets high in flavonols and flavones may help prevent the development of breast cancer in Italian women.