Dietary patterns are combinations of dietary components intended to summarize key factors of the diet, and to overcome problems of high correlations between dietary exposures. Three approaches have been proposed in the literature to define dietary patterns: a posteriori, a priori and reduced rank regression approach. A posteriori dietary patterns are defined through multivariate statistical methods, a priori dietary patterns are defined as indexes built upon scientific evidence for specific diseases. Reduced rank regression combines the advantages of the a posteriori and a priori approaches. In the current paper, we discuss the available evidence regarding the relationship between major identified dietary patterns and breast cancer, with focus on existing methods and their limitations. Six papers out of the 19 identified did not find any association between dietary patterns and breast cancer in the population under study. Most of the other papers found only 1 dietary pattern associated with breast cancer, and only 4 were able to define 2 or more dietary patterns possibly related to it. Although lack of evidence seems to dominate the results, both unsolved methodological issues and differences in study design may affect the corresponding epidemiological results. Consequently, there is still the need for a refinement in the definition of dietary patterns according to all the existing approaches. Caution is recommended in the application of factor analysis, as this is the most frequently adopted technique, but some data might not be consistent with the prescribed correlation structure.

Methodological issues in dietary pattern analysis : evidence from a review on studies on breast cancer / V.C. Edefonti, G. Randi, M. Ferraroni, A. Decarli. ((Intervento presentato al 5. convegno Conference of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the International Biometric Society tenutosi a Instanbul nel 2009.

Methodological issues in dietary pattern analysis : evidence from a review on studies on breast cancer

V.C. Edefonti
Primo
;
G. Randi
Secondo
;
M. Ferraroni
Penultimo
;
A. Decarli
Ultimo
2009

Abstract

Dietary patterns are combinations of dietary components intended to summarize key factors of the diet, and to overcome problems of high correlations between dietary exposures. Three approaches have been proposed in the literature to define dietary patterns: a posteriori, a priori and reduced rank regression approach. A posteriori dietary patterns are defined through multivariate statistical methods, a priori dietary patterns are defined as indexes built upon scientific evidence for specific diseases. Reduced rank regression combines the advantages of the a posteriori and a priori approaches. In the current paper, we discuss the available evidence regarding the relationship between major identified dietary patterns and breast cancer, with focus on existing methods and their limitations. Six papers out of the 19 identified did not find any association between dietary patterns and breast cancer in the population under study. Most of the other papers found only 1 dietary pattern associated with breast cancer, and only 4 were able to define 2 or more dietary patterns possibly related to it. Although lack of evidence seems to dominate the results, both unsolved methodological issues and differences in study design may affect the corresponding epidemiological results. Consequently, there is still the need for a refinement in the definition of dietary patterns according to all the existing approaches. Caution is recommended in the application of factor analysis, as this is the most frequently adopted technique, but some data might not be consistent with the prescribed correlation structure.
10-mag-2009
dietary patterns ; review ; breast cancer
Settore MED/01 - Statistica Medica
International Biometric Society : Eastern Mediterranean Region
Methodological issues in dietary pattern analysis : evidence from a review on studies on breast cancer / V.C. Edefonti, G. Randi, M. Ferraroni, A. Decarli. ((Intervento presentato al 5. convegno Conference of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the International Biometric Society tenutosi a Instanbul nel 2009.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/62354
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