Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Feb 18.
Published in final edited form as: Eur J Nutr. 2021 Jun 21;60(8):4565–4577. doi: 10.1007/s00394-021-02517-z

Table 3.

Cumulative average of post-diagnostic energy-adjusted carbohydrate intake from different sources in relation to mortality after breast cancer diagnosis (n = 8,932 women, 2,523 deaths including 1,071 deaths from breast cancer), Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II

Quintile Median
of
intake
(grams)
Breast cancer-specific mortality All-cause mortality
No. of
deaths
Model 1 Model 2 No. of
deaths
Model 1 Model 2
Carbohydrate from fruits
1 14.2 207 1 1 481 1 1
2 23.8 214 0.99 (0.82-1.20) 1.20 (0.99-1.46) 494 0.95 (0.84-1.08) 1.07 (0.94-1.21)
3 31.5 213 0.95 (0.78-1.15) 1.14 (0.94-1.39) 485 0.85 (0.75-0.97) 1.04 (0.91-1.18)
4 40.3 225 1.01 (0.83-1.22) 1.23 (1.01-1.49) 521 0.88 (0.77-0.99) 1.03 (0.91-1.17)
5 55.5 212 0.95 (0.78-1.16) 1.02 (0.83-1.25) 542 0.84 (0.74-0.95) 0.97 (0.85-1.11)
P trend 0.71 0.99 0.004 0.42
Carbohydrate from fruit juice
1 0.9 201 1 1 448 1 1
2 3.7 182 0.86 (0.70-1.05) 1.02 (0.83-1.25) 431 0.94 (0.82-1.07) 0.98 (0.86-1.12)
3 7.7 194 0.89 (0.73-1.08) 1.07 (0.88-1.31) 476 0.98 (0.86-1.12) 1.06 (0.93-1.21)
4 13.1 234 1.05 (0.86-1.26) 1.23 (1.01-1.49) 543 1.03 (0.90-1.16) 1.08 (0.95-1.23)
5 23.3 260 1.16 (0.96-1.39) 1.24 (1.02-1.50) 625 1.09 (0.96-1.23) 1.15 (1.01-1.30)
P trend 0.005 0.008 0.03 0.008
Carbohydrate from vegetables
1 8.0 225 1 1 596 1 1
2 11.6 204 0.88 (0.73-1.06) 0.88 (0.73-1.07) 523 0.89 (0.79-1.00) 0.94 (0.83-1.06)
3 14.4 219 0.94 (0.78-1.13) 0.95 (0.79-1.15) 489 0.85 (0.75-0.95) 0.92 (0.82-1.04)
4 17.7 220 0.95 (0.79-1.15) 0.92 (0.76-1.11) 467 0.83 (0.74-0.94) 0.89 (0.78-1.00)
5 23.9 203 0.91 (0.75-1.10) 0.84 (0.69-1.02) 448 0.83 (0.73-0.93) 0.86 (0.75-0.97)
P trend 0.56 0.14 0.002 0.01
Carbohydrate from whole grains
1 5.7 298 1 1 615 1 1
2 12.4 217 0.79 (0.66-0.94) 1.06 (0.88-1.27) 512 0.90 (0.80-1.01) 0.97 (0.86-1.09)
3 18.6 197 0.74 (0.61-0.88) 1.08 (0.89-1.30) 508 0.88 (0.78-0.99) 0.98 (0.86-1.11)
4 25.9 165 0.65 (0.54-0.79) 1.04 (0.85-1.29) 426 0.75 (0.66-0.85) 0.89 (0.78-1.02)
5 38.3 194 0.80 (0.66-0.97) 1.12 (0.91-1.37) 462 0.80 (0.71-0.91) 0.92 (0.80-1.05)
P trend 0.01 0.36 <0.0001 0.13
Carbohydrate from refined grains
1 25.7 212 1 1 499 1 1
2 35.4 213 0.93 (0.77-1.13) 1.08 (0.89-1.31) 506 1.03 (0.91-1.16) 1.10 (0.97-1.24)
3 42.7 233 0.99 (0.82-1.20) 1.19 (0.99-1.44) 543 1.11 (0.98-1.25) 1.20 (1.06-1.36)
4 50.7 207 0.89 (0.73-1.08) 1.03 (0.85-1.25) 493 1.07 (0.94-1.21) 1.07 (0.94-1.21)
5 64.7 206 0.92 (0.76-1.12) 0.96 (0.79-1.18) 482 1.13 (0.99-1.28) 1.16 (1.02-1.32)
P trend 0.35 0.50 0.06 0.06
Carbohydrate from legumes
1 2.1 226 1 1 540 1 1
2 3.7 223 0.98 (0.81-1.18) 1.15 (0.95-1.39) 509 0.97 (0.86-1.09) 1.08 (0.95-1.22)
3 5.1 211 0.92 (0.76-1.10) 1.15 (0.95-1.39) 533 0.99 (0.88-1.12) 1.12 (0.99-1.27)
4 6.7 196 0.87 (0.72-1.05) 1.12 (0.92-1.36) 470 0.89 (0.79-1.01) 0.99 (0.87-1.12)
5 10.5 215 1.01 (0.83-1.21) 1.12 (0.92-1.36) 471 0.96 (0.85-1.08) 0.99 (0.88-1.13)
P trend 0.92 0.44 0.35 0.47
Carbohydrate from potatoes
1 4.0 183 1 1 446 1 1
2 7.9 231 1.18 (0.97-1.44) 1.23 (1.01-1.49) 503 1.13 (0.99-1.28) 1.11 (0.97-1.26)
3 11.6 202 1.01 (0.83-1.24) 1.15 (0.94-1.42) 506 1.12 (0.98-1.27) 1.11 (0.97-1.26)
4 15.9 216 1.07 (0.88-1.30) 1.16 (0.95-1.41) 512 1.14 (1.00-1.29) 1.10 (0.97-1.25)
5 24.0 239 1.20 (0.99-1.46) 1.25 (1.02-1.52) 556 1.22 (1.08-1.38) 1.13 (0.99-1.28)
P trend 0.17 0.11 0.005 0.14

Model 1 was stratified by cohort and adjusted for age at diagnosis (year) and calendar year of diagnosis.

Model 2 was stratified by cohort and adjusted for age at diagnosis (year), calendar year of diagnosis, time between diagnosis and first FFQ (year), calendar year at start of follow-up of each-2-year questionnaire cycle, pre-diagnostic BMI (<18.5, 18.5 to <25.0, 25.0 to <30, 30 to <35, ≥35 kg/m2, missing), BMI change after diagnosis [no change (≥−0.5 to ≤0.5 kg/m2), decrease (<−0.5 kg/m2), increase (>0.5-2 kg/m2), increase (>2 kg/m2), missing], post-diagnostic smoking (never, past, current 1-14 cigarettes/day, current 15-24 cigarettes/day, current ≥25 cigarettes/day, missing), post-diagnostic physical activity (<5, 5 to <11.5, 11.5 to <22, ≥22 MET-h/week, missing), oral contraceptive use (ever, never), post-diagnostic alcohol consumption (<0.15, 0.15 to <2.0, 2.0 to 7.5, ≥7.5 g/day), post-diagnostic total energy intake (quintiles, kcal/day), pre-diagnostic menopausal status, age at menopause, and postmenopausal hormone use status (premenopausal; postmenopausal, age at menopause<50 year, and never postmenopausal hormone use; postmenopausal, age at menopause<50 year, and past postmenopausal hormone use; postmenopausal, age at menopause<50 year, and current postmenopausal hormone use; postmenopausal, age at menopause≥50 year, and never postmenopausal hormone use; postmenopausal, age at menopause≥50 year, and past postmenopausal hormone use; postmenopausal, age at menopause≥50 year, and current postmenopausal hormone use; missing), post-diagnostic aspirin use (never, past, current, missing), race (non-Hispanic white, other), stage of disease (I, II, III), ER/PR status (ER/PR positive, ER positive and PR negative, ER/PR negative, missing), radiotherapy (yes, no, missing), chemotherapy (yes, no, missing), and hormonal treatment (yes, no, missing).