Mediterranean diet adherence and risk of pancreatic cancer: A pooled analysis of two Dutch cohorts

Abstract

3w?>Studies investigating the association of Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence with pancreatic cancer risk are limited and had inconsistent results. We examined the association between MD adherence and pancreatic cancer incidence by pooling data from the Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS, 120,852 subjects) and the Dutch cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC‐NL, 40,011 subjects). MD adherence was assessed using alternate and modified Mediterranean diet scores (aMED and mMED, respectively), including and excluding alcohol. After median follow‐ups of 20.3 (NLCS) and 19.2 (EPIC‐NL) years, 449 microscopically confirmed pancreatic cancer (MCPC) cases were included in study‐specific multivariable Cox models. Study‐specific estimates were pooled using a random‐effects model. MD adherence was not significantly associated with MCPC risk in pooled and study‐specific analyses, regardless of sex and MD score. Pooled hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for high (6–8) compared to low (0–3) values of mMED excluding alcohol were 0.66 (0.40–1.10) in men and 0.94 (0.63–1.40) in women. In never smokers, mMED excluding alcohol seemed to be inversely associated with MCPC risk (nonsignificant). However, no association was observed in ever smokers (pheterogeneity = 0.03). Hazard ratios were consistent across strata of other potential effect modifiers. Considering MD scores excluding alcohol, mMED‐containing models generally fitted better than aMED‐containing models, particularly in men. Although associations somewhat differed when all pancreatic cancers were considered instead of MCPC, the overall conclusion was similar. In conclusion, MD adherence was not associated with pancreatic cancer risk in a pooled analysis of two Dutch cohorts.