Lamchabbek Najoua, Elattabi Chaimaa, Bour Abdellatif, Chimera Bernadette, Boutayeb Saber, Belyamani Lahcen, Faure Elodie, Huybrechts Inge, Khalis Mohamed
Department of Public Health and Clinical Research, Mohammed VI Center for Research and Innovation, Rabat 10112, Morocco.
Mohammed VI International School of Public Health, Mohammed VI University of Sciences and Health, Casablanca 82403, Morocco.
Nutrients. 2025 Jan 22;17(3):394. doi: 10.3390/nu17030394.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is witnessing a continuous rise in the incidence of breast cancer (BC). This region is characterized by distinct cultural and lifestyle habits. Despite the importance of diet as a modifiable risk factor for BC, its role in the development of BC within the MENA context has not been extensively studied. This systematic review aims to identify and synthesize existing evidence regarding the effect of different dietary factors on BC risk among women from this region.
We systematically reviewed the scientific literature for observational studies that examined the association between specific dietary factors and the risk of BC in MENA, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Our comprehensive search included databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Scopus, identified a total of 18,085 records, of which 65 met our inclusion criteria and were assessed for quality using the National Institute of Health Quality Assessment Tool.
The findings of the 65 included studies were categorized into food groups, nutrients, and dietary patterns. Studies in the MENA region have consistently shown that the consumption of fruit and vegetables, fish and seafood, and black tea are associated with a reduced BC risk. In contrast, the intake of milk and white bread is linked to an increased risk. Specific dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet, a healthy plant-based diet, dietary antioxidant index, and overall healthy dietary patterns have shown a negative association with BC risk. Conversely, the dietary insulin index and load, dietary glycemic index, dietary inflammatory index, and unhealthy dietary patterns are associated with an increased risk of BC. For the remaining dietary factors, research was too limited or inconsistent to draw conclusions.
Our findings highlight the significant role of dietary factors in modulating BC risk among women in the MENA region, an area that faces a notable gap in research on this topic. Further studies are essential to deepen our understanding and develop targeted dietary recommendations for BC prevention in this population.
中东和北非（MENA）地区的乳腺癌（BC）发病率持续上升。该地区具有独特的文化和生活习惯。尽管饮食作为BC的一个可改变风险因素很重要，但其在MENA地区BC发生中的作用尚未得到广泛研究。本系统评价旨在识别和综合现有证据，以探讨不同饮食因素对该地区女性BC风险的影响。
我们根据系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）声明，系统回顾了关于MENA地区特定饮食因素与BC风险之间关联的观察性研究的科学文献。我们的全面检索包括PubMed、科学网、ScienceDirect和Scopus等数据库，共识别出18,085条记录，其中65条符合我们的纳入标准，并使用美国国立卫生研究院质量评估工具对其质量进行了评估。
纳入的65项研究的结果分为食物组、营养素和饮食模式。MENA地区的研究一致表明，食用水果和蔬菜、鱼类和海鲜以及红茶与BC风险降低有关。相比之下，牛奶和白面包的摄入与风险增加有关。特定的饮食模式，如地中海饮食、健康的植物性饮食、饮食抗氧化指数和总体健康饮食模式，与BC风险呈负相关。相反，饮食胰岛素指数和负荷、饮食血糖指数、饮食炎症指数和不健康饮食模式与BC风险增加有关。对于其余饮食因素，研究过于有限或不一致难以得出结论。
我们的研究结果突出了饮食因素在调节MENA地区女性BC风险中的重要作用，该地区在这一主题的研究方面存在明显差距。进一步的研究对于深化我们的理解并为该人群制定针对性的BC预防饮食建议至关重要。
