Healthy lifestyle and breast cancer risk: A case-control study in Morocco

Background: Some modifiable risk factors have been independently associated with breast cancer (BC) risk in Moroccan women, but no studies have investigated their joint association. This study aimed to investigate the association between a Healthy Lifestyle Index (HLI) score and BC risk among Moroccan women. Methods: In this case–control study, 300 incident BC cases and 300 controls, matched by age and area of residence were recruited. Cases were women newly-diagnosed with histopathologically–confirmed BC at the University Hospital in Fez, Morocco. Controls were randomly selected healthy women recruited from 6 primary health centers in Fez. HLI scores developed within this study were assigned to participants based on 11 factors (red and processed meat, white meat, cream, cheese, fish, fruit and vegetables, physical activity, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, and breastfeeding), where 0 was given to unhealthy and 0.5 or 1 to healthy levels of each factor. Conditional and unconditional logistic regression models were used to assess the association between HLI scores and BC risk. Results: Mean of HLI scores were 8.1 (±1.1) and 9.0 (±0.9) in cases and controls, respectively, p < 0.01. After adjusting for potential confounders, one-point increment in the HLI score was associated with 56% (95% CI, CI: 39–68%), 49% (95% CI: 30–63%), and 59% (95% CI: 40–72%) lower risks of BC in all, premenopausal, and postmenopausal women, respectively. Conclusion: High HLI scores were associated with decreased risk of BC in Moroccan women. These findings suggest that BC prevention policies should include strategies for engaging Moroccan women in healthy lifestyles.