Coconut Milk Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk in Thai Women: A Case-Control Study
Issued Date
2024-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
01635581
eISSN
15327914
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85201109859
Journal Title
Nutrition and Cancer
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Nutrition and Cancer (2024)
Suggested Citation
Leechanavanicpan P., Phucharoenrak P., Phansuea P., Trachootham D. Coconut Milk Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk in Thai Women: A Case-Control Study. Nutrition and Cancer (2024). doi:10.1080/01635581.2024.2390202 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/100563
Title
Coconut Milk Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk in Thai Women: A Case-Control Study
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Corresponding Author(s)
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Abstract
Coconut milk contains plant-based saturated fat and phytochemicals with antioxidant activities. However, its role in breast cancer risk remains unclear. A case-control study was conducted on 244 participants to study the association. The Case group includes 61 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients receiving < 6 months of therapies. The Control group includes 183 healthy people with matched characteristics. A new questionnaire was developed, validated, and used in this study to estimate the frequency of coconut milk-containing food intake. Results show that the questionnaire has satisfactory content validity, test-retest reliability, and criterion-related validity. From the case-control study, either consuming 1–3 or 4–6 times/week of coconut-milk-containing curry or consuming 4–6 times/week of coconut milk-topped desserts are associated with increased risk of breast cancer (OR = 5.23, 5.6, and 2.6 respectively, p < 0.01). Consuming less than half of coconut milk liquid in desserts correlated with a reduced risk (OR = 0.43, p < 0.05). The findings suggest that moderate (less than half of a serving) and infrequent (less than once a week) consumption of coconut milk may be beneficial for breast cancer prevention. A larger scale study is warranted to confirm the findings and provide evidence for dietary recommendations.