DASH, Mediterranean diet tied to lower risk of basal cell carcinoma

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet or the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) appears to reduce the risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), according to a study, noting that confirmatory research is warranted.

The investigators examined the association of several complete dietary patterns (Mediterranean, DASH, and provegetarian dietary pattern) with the risk of BCC by conducting a nested case-control study, with four controls for each case. Risk set sampling was used to select participants and controls from the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra cohort.

Cases were identified among participants free of skin cancer at baseline but who later reported a BCC diagnosis during follow-up. A total of 101 incident cases of BCC were identified in the cohort.

Multivariable-adjusted conditional logistic regression analyses revealed a 72-percent relative reduction (RR) in the odds of BCC with better adherence to the Mediterranean diet (highest vs lowest quintile: odds ratio [OR], 0.28, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.10–0.77; p_trend=0.014) and a 68-percent RR with the DASH diet (highest vs lowest quintile: OR, 0.32, 95 percent CI, 0.14–0.76; p_trend=0.013).

There was no association between a provegetarian dietary pattern and BCC.

In addition, higher consumption of fruits (highest vs lowest quintile: OR, 0.27, 95 percent CI, 0.11–0.64; p_trend<0.001) and low-fat dairy products (OR, 0.39, 95 percent CI, 0.16–0.92; p_trend=0.014) correlated with a lower BCC risk.