COIOS
Behavioural science Item new preprint

Swiss childhood cancer survivors' diets tracked social position, not cardiovascular risk

Among 802 adult survivors of childhood cancer in Switzerland, five dietary patterns identified from a food frequency questionnaire varied by sex, age, language region, smoking and socioeconomic position, but showed no association with cardiovascular disease or its risk factors.

Factor and cluster analysis of 52 food groups in 802 Swiss adults treated for cancer before the age of 21 identified five dietary patterns, the most common a Western indulgence diet at 38% and a Mediterranean-inspired diet at 22%. Patterns were associated with sex, age, language region, smoking, household composition and socioeconomic position. No dietary pattern was associated with having cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular risk factors.

Why it is interesting: A null cross-sectional result on diet and cardiovascular risk in a survivor group usually assumed to be diet-sensitive.

Source
medRxiv, 23 September 2026
DOI
10.64898/2026.09.22.26363621
Type
Preprint
Design
Cross-sectional food frequency questionnaire study, 802 Swiss adult childhood cancer survivors diagnosed 1976-2005, surveyed from 2017
Verdict
New finding
Driver
Diet, exercise and sleep
Driver
Cancer
Driver
Obesity, diabetes and GLP-1