Background: Nut intake has been associated with reduced cancer-related mortality, but there is very limited evidence on total cancer risk. We investigated the associations of nut and peanut butter intake with the risk of total cancer and smoking- and alcohol-related cancer subgroups.
Methods: In the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study, 120,852 men and women aged 55 to 69 years provided information on lifestyle and dietary habits at baseline in 1986. After 20.3 years of follow-up, 19,255 total cancer cases and 3,499 subcohort members were included in multivariable-adjusted Cox regression analyses, using a case-cohort approach.
Results: No significant associations were found between total nut, tree nut, peanut, and peanut butter intake and total cancer risk in men and women. There were also no significant associations with smoking-(un)related and alcohol-(un)related cancers in both sexes.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that nut and peanut butter intake are not associated with a reduced risk of total cancer in men or women.
Impact: Nut and peanut butter consumption are not related to the risk of total cancer.
©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.