Regional dietary patterns and risk of primary liver cancer in anhui, china: a population-based case-control study

Abstract

Aim: Primary liver cancer (PLC) remains an important public health concern in Anhui Province, China. Whether dietary habits distinctive to this region are associated with the risk of PLC remains to be investigated. This study aimed to identify characteristic dietary patterns among the adult population in Anhui and examine their associations with PLC risk.

Methods: Using data from a geographically representative community sample (n = 2,548), dietary patterns were derived using hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis based on food frequency questionnaires and were structurally validated. A 1:2 matched case-control study (277 PLC cases, 554 controls) was used to assess the associations between these patterns and PLC risk.

Results: Four dietary patterns were identified. The high refined grain-low whole grain pattern [odds ratio (OR) = 4.60; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.27, 9.33], the alcohol and preserved food co-consumption pattern (OR = 2.41; 95%CI: 1.27, 4.54), and the red meat-poultry-aquatic product pattern (OR = 2.18; 95%CI: 1.22, 3.90) were associated with increased PLC risk. In sensitivity analyses, red meat and Chinese liquor appeared to be primary risk contributors within their respective patterns, whereas whole grains, fruits, vegetable oils, and tea appeared to have protective associations. The diverse plant-based pattern was not significantly associated with PLC risk.

Conclusion: Several dietary patterns reflecting local consumption habits in Anhui were associated with PLC risk. These findings suggest the value of region-specific dietary assessment in elucidating lifestyle contributors to PLC.

Keywords

Primary liver cancer / dietary patterns / case-control study / nutritional epidemiology

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