COMPARISON OF SULFIDOGENIC BACTERIA WITH FRUIT, VEGETABLE, AND MEAT FOOD GROUPS IN WOMEN WITH AND WITHOUT A HISTORY OF BREAST CANCER

Abstract

Sulfidogenic bacteria and their production of the gas they produce, namely hydrogen sulfide (H2S), have been linked with developing diseases in humans such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). It remains unknown if sulfidogenic bacteria have a role in the development of breast cancer (BC) and there is limited evidence linking this group of bacteria and diet overall in relation to BC. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in sulfidogenic bacterial abundance between women with and without BC who consume high vs low daily intakes of fruit, vegetable, and meat food groups. A total of 231 women (74 BC survivors (BCS), and 157 women without BC (non-BC)) were included in this study. The mean age of the sample was 55.48  8.89 years. Most of the women were White (92.6%), postmenopausal (73.6%) and had a normal BMI (50.2%). No differences in the daily serving intake of fruits, vegetables, and meats were observed between the two groups of women. Higher fruits intake correlated negatively with DBB abundance, but only in the BCS group (rho= -0.240, p= 0.047). However, DFM and DSB correlated negatively with fruits intake (rho= -0.211, -0.292, 0.182, respectively, all p value <0.05) in non-BC group. This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the benefits of fruit consumption for decreasing DBB, DFM and DSB abundance, and supports the recommendation limiting the intake of meats, particularly processed meats as it correlated with increased DBB abundance. DBB and other sulfidogenic bacteria have been xi associated with inflammatory diseases and CRC via the production of H2S. Future studies examining the role of sulfidogenic bacteria as mediators of diet in BC are needed.