(OR09-04-26) Diet Quality and Gastrointestinal Cancer-Related Blood Metabolites: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Objectives: We hypothesized that diet quality is associated with blood metabolites known from the literature to relate to gastrointestinal (GI) cancer risk, and that adiposity and birthplace may modify diet-metabolite associations in US Hispanic adults.

Methods: We analyzed data from 3749 HCHS/SOL adults who were free of cancer, had blood metabolites measured, and had diet assessed via two 24-hour recalls at baseline. We created metabolite scores by clustering 94 metabolites with direct or inverse GI cancer risk associations identified by literature review. Summing metabolite levels from each cluster resulted in 7 scores (D-Sc) from metabolites directly associated and 3 scores (I-Sc) from those inversely associated with GI cancer risk. We used regression models to test cross-sectional associations of the 2010 Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) of diet quality with D-Sc and I-Sc (outcomes), adjusting for clinical, demographic and lifestyle factors. β coefficients were interpreted as difference in metabolite score per unit AHEI. We assessed whether birthplace (US 50 states or not) or baseline sex-specific dichotomized BMI, waist to hip ratio (WHR), or waist circumference (WC) modified the associations.

Results: AHEI was inversely associated with four D-Sc in the overall sample: all β’s ≤ -0.04 (95% CI -0.07, -0.02). This association was stronger for 1 D-Sc (mostly branched chain amino acid [AA] metabolites) in higher adiposity groups; all p-for-interaction (p-int) ≤ 0.04. AHEI was associated with 2 other D-Sc only in subgroups: one (mostly bile acid metabolites) with inverse association only in the lower WHR group (β -0.06 [95% CI -0.09, -0.02], p-int 0.01); and another (mostly phospholipid and bile acid metabolites) with direct association only in the lower BMI group (β 0.02 [95% CI 0.004, 0.04], p-int 0.04). Another D-Sc (mostly fatty acid metabolites) had non-significant associations in opposite directions by birthplace, p-int 0.01. AHEI was directly associated with only one I-Sc (mostly AA, lipid, α-tocopherol, retinol and piperine): β 0.04 (95% CI 0.01, 0.06) in the overall sample with stronger associations in the lower WC (p-int 0.001) and BMI (p-int 0.04) groups.

Conclusions: Better diet quality was generally associated with lower blood levels of metabolites linked to GI cancer risk. Adiposity and birthplace modified some associations.

Funding Sources: NIH