Objective: To study the associations between the intake of flavonols and flavones and the risk of cancer.
Methods: The study cohort consisted of 27,110 male smokers, aged 50-69 years, without history of cancer. They were participants of the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study in Finland. The men completed a validated dietary questionnaire at baseline. Incident cases of cancers were identified through national registers. During an average 6.1-year follow-up, 791 lung cancers, 226 prostate cancers, 156 urothelial cancers, 133 colorectal cancers, 111 stomach cancers, and 92 renal cell cancers were diagnosed.
Results: Intake of flavonols and flavones was inversely associated with the risk of lung cancer; multivariate relative risk in the highest vs. the lowest quartile 0.56, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.69, p for trend 0.0001. The risk was similar in all histological types of lung cancer. No association was found between flavonol and flavone intake and the risk of other cancers.
Conclusions: Intake of flavonols and flavones seemed to be inversely associated with the risk of lung cancer, but not with that of other cancers.