Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec 20;13(12):4557.
doi: 10.3390/nu13124557.

Validation of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire to Measure Dietary Intake of a Selection of Micronutrients in Oncology Patients Undergoing Systemic Therapy

Mitali S Mukherjee  1 , Shawgi Sukumaran  2   3 , Christopher L Delaney  2   4 , Michelle D Miller  1
Affiliations

Validation of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire to Measure Dietary Intake of a Selection of Micronutrients in Oncology Patients Undergoing Systemic Therapy

Mitali S Mukherjee et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Dietary intake, specifically consumption of anti-inflammatory micronutrients, can play a role in both cancer initiation as well as the treatment-related outcomes experienced by patients receiving systemic cancer therapy. Increasing research is being conducted to determine whether micronutrient supplementation can aid in altering the tumor microenvironment (TME), reducing inflammatory side effects and immune-related adverse events (irAEs). However, further research pertaining to the adequacy of dietary micronutrient intake is indicated in the oncology cohort. Currently, no tool measuring dietary intakes of various micronutrients exists in the oncology population. In this study, a 21-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) measuring intakes of 14 different micronutrients was validated using diet history as the reference method in 112 oncology patients. Bland Altman plot and Passing Bablok regression analysis were conducted to determine agreement between the two methods. The results showed adequate agreement between FFQ and diet history for 12 nutrients including copper, iron, vitamins A, E, and D, alpha linolenic acid (ALA), long-chain omega 3 fatty acids (LC n3-FA), arginine, glutamic acid, isoleucine, leucine, and valine. This 21-item FFQ, which takes an average of 10 min to complete, can be utilized as a quick screening tool to determine adequacy for 12 different micronutrients in place of a diet history.

Keywords: FFQ; anti-inflammatory; cancer; chemotherapy; immunotherapy; micronutrients; oncology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
1: Bland-Altman plots showing agreement between the reference method diet history (DHx) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) 2: Passing Bablok analysis showing constant difference and proportional difference (black line) against line showing 100% agreement between the two methods (grey line) for (A) copper, (B) iron, (C) zinc, (D) retinol equivalents, (E) vitamin C, (F) cholecalciferol, (G) vitamin E, (H) alpha linolenic acid (ALA), (I) total long chain omega-3 fatty acids (LC n-3 FA), (J) arginine, (K) glutamine, (L) isoleucine, (M) leucine, (N) valine.
Figure 1
Figure 1
1: Bland-Altman plots showing agreement between the reference method diet history (DHx) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) 2: Passing Bablok analysis showing constant difference and proportional difference (black line) against line showing 100% agreement between the two methods (grey line) for (A) copper, (B) iron, (C) zinc, (D) retinol equivalents, (E) vitamin C, (F) cholecalciferol, (G) vitamin E, (H) alpha linolenic acid (ALA), (I) total long chain omega-3 fatty acids (LC n-3 FA), (J) arginine, (K) glutamine, (L) isoleucine, (M) leucine, (N) valine.
Figure 1
Figure 1
1: Bland-Altman plots showing agreement between the reference method diet history (DHx) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) 2: Passing Bablok analysis showing constant difference and proportional difference (black line) against line showing 100% agreement between the two methods (grey line) for (A) copper, (B) iron, (C) zinc, (D) retinol equivalents, (E) vitamin C, (F) cholecalciferol, (G) vitamin E, (H) alpha linolenic acid (ALA), (I) total long chain omega-3 fatty acids (LC n-3 FA), (J) arginine, (K) glutamine, (L) isoleucine, (M) leucine, (N) valine.
Figure 1
Figure 1
1: Bland-Altman plots showing agreement between the reference method diet history (DHx) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) 2: Passing Bablok analysis showing constant difference and proportional difference (black line) against line showing 100% agreement between the two methods (grey line) for (A) copper, (B) iron, (C) zinc, (D) retinol equivalents, (E) vitamin C, (F) cholecalciferol, (G) vitamin E, (H) alpha linolenic acid (ALA), (I) total long chain omega-3 fatty acids (LC n-3 FA), (J) arginine, (K) glutamine, (L) isoleucine, (M) leucine, (N) valine.
Figure 1
Figure 1
1: Bland-Altman plots showing agreement between the reference method diet history (DHx) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) 2: Passing Bablok analysis showing constant difference and proportional difference (black line) against line showing 100% agreement between the two methods (grey line) for (A) copper, (B) iron, (C) zinc, (D) retinol equivalents, (E) vitamin C, (F) cholecalciferol, (G) vitamin E, (H) alpha linolenic acid (ALA), (I) total long chain omega-3 fatty acids (LC n-3 FA), (J) arginine, (K) glutamine, (L) isoleucine, (M) leucine, (N) valine.
Figure 1
Figure 1
1: Bland-Altman plots showing agreement between the reference method diet history (DHx) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) 2: Passing Bablok analysis showing constant difference and proportional difference (black line) against line showing 100% agreement between the two methods (grey line) for (A) copper, (B) iron, (C) zinc, (D) retinol equivalents, (E) vitamin C, (F) cholecalciferol, (G) vitamin E, (H) alpha linolenic acid (ALA), (I) total long chain omega-3 fatty acids (LC n-3 FA), (J) arginine, (K) glutamine, (L) isoleucine, (M) leucine, (N) valine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Sung H., Ferlay J., Siegel R.L., Laversanne M., Soerjomataram I., Jemal A., Bray F. Global cancer statistics 2020: Globocan estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J. Clin. 2021;71:209–249. doi: 10.3322/caac.21660. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Multhoff G., Molls M., Radons J. Chronic Inflammation in Cancer Development. Front. Immunol. 2012;2:98. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2011.00098. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Colotta F., Allavena P., Sica A., Garlanda C., Mantovani A. Cancer-related inflammation, the seventh hallmark of cancer: Links to genetic instability. Carcinogenesis. 2009;30:1073–1081. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgp127. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nakamura K., Smyth M.J. Targeting cancer-related inflammation in the era of immunotherapy. Immunol. Cell Biol. 2017;95:325–332. doi: 10.1038/icb.2016.126. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dunlop R.J., Campbell C.W. Cytokines and Advanced Cancer. J. Pain Symptom Manag. 2000;20:214–232. doi: 10.1016/S0885-3924(00)00199-8. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms