Pancreatic cancer risk is decreased on a diet high in red meat and saturated fat

This study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1998 Nov 18;90(22):1710-9

Study title and authors:

Dietary and nutritional factors and pancreatic cancer: a case-control study based on direct interviews.

Silverman DT, Swanson CA, Gridley G, Wacholder S, Greenberg RS, Brown LM, Hayes RB, Swanson GM, Schoenberg JB, Pottern LM, Schwartz AG, Fraumeni JF Jr, Hoover RN.

Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. silvermd@EPNDCE.NCI.NIH.GOV

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9827525

This study investigated the relationship between diet and pancreatic cancer in 436 patients and 2003 general-population control subjects aged 30-79 years.

The study found:

• Those who had the lowest consumption of bread, grains and cereals had an 8% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those who had the highest consumption of bread, grains and cereals.
• Those who had the lowest consumption of carbohydrates had a 36% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those who had the highest consumption of carbohydrates.
• Those who ate the most fat had a 34% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate the least fat.
• Those who ate the most saturated fat had a 28% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate the least saturated fat.
• Those who ate the most red meat had an 18% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate the least red meat.

This study shows that diets high in saturated fat and red meat offer protection from pancreatic cancer.

Bread and cereals increase the risk of colon cancer by 69%

This study was published in the International Journal of Cancer 1997 Jul 3;72(1):56-61

Study title and authors:
Food groups and risk of colorectal cancer in Italy.

Franceschi S, Favero A, La Vecchia C, Negri E, Conti E, Montella M, Giacosa A, Nanni O, Decarli A.
Servizio di Epidemiologia, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano (PN), Italy. franceschis@ets.it

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9212223

This study investigated the influence of various food groups on the risk of colon cancer. The dietary habits of  1,953 subjects with colon cancer and 4,154 subjects without cancer were compared.

The study found:
(a) Those with the highest consumption of eggs had an 8% decrease in colon cancer rates compared to those who ate the least amount of eggs.
(b) Those who ate the most bread and cereal had a 69% increased risk of colon cancer compared to those who ate the least bread and cereal.
(c) Those who ate the most potatoes had a 20%  increased risk of colon cancer compared to those who ate the least potatoes.

This study shows that starchy food is a high risk factor for colon cancer.