BackgroundDietary glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL) has been associated with the development of many cancers, but the evidence for renal cancer is still limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between GI or GL and renal cancer risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer (PLCO) Screening Trial.MethodsThe cohort for our analysis consisted of 101,190 participants. GI and GL were calculated from the FFQ data using previously published reference values. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox regression model after adjusting for most known renal cancer risk factors.ResultsDuring a median of 12.2 years of follow-up, 443 incident renal cancer cases occurred. Higher dietary GI was significantly associated with a higher risk of renal cancer (HRQ3vsQ1: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.09–1.74;pfor trend = 0.008). There was no significant association between dietary GL and renal cancer risk (HRQ3vsQ1= 1.12, 95% CI = 0.79–1.59,pfor trend = 0.591). Spline regression plot revealed a higher risk of renal cancer with a higher GI but not GL. There was no statistical evidence for nonlinearity (pfor nonlinearity >0.05).ConclusionIn summary, findings of this large-scale prospective cohort study suggested that dietary GI may be associated with the risk of renal cancer. If confirmed in other populations and settings, dietary GI could be considered as a modifiable risk factor for renal cancer prevention.