As meat and fat consumption increase the rates of stomach cancer decrease

This study was published in Cancer Research 1975 Nov;35(11 Pt. 2):3460-3

Study title and author:

Epidemiology of cancer of the stomach with special reference to its recent decrease in Japan.

Hirayama T.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1192411

Hirayama notes that in Japan death rates for stomach cancer have been declining. The study investigated the connection between the decreased death rates and stomach cancer.

Over an 18 year period male stomach cancer death rate have fallen by:
25%  in the age group 40 to 44
34% in the age group 45 to 49,
35% in the age group 50 t0 54
30% in the age group 55 to 59
30% in the age group 60 to 64
19% in the age group 65 to 69

Over the same period female death rates have also fallen. Their rates are:
25%  in the age group 40 to 44
22% in the age group 45 to 49,
30% in the age group 50 t0 54
31% in the age group 55 to 59
28% in the age group 60 to 64
30% in the age group 65 to 69

Hiramaya found the following changes in food consumption:
(a) Carbohydrate consumption decreased by 14%.
(b) Rice consumption decreased by 19%.
(c) Potato consumption decreased by 56%.
(d) Fat consumption increased by 126%.
(e) Egg consumption increased by 1191%
(f) Meat consumption increased by 1269%.

This study found that as carbohydrate consumption declined and meat and fat consumption increased the rates of stomach cancer decreased.

Links to other studies:
Eating red meat helps to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 29%
Women who eat high quantities of meat have less incidence of breast cancer
High amounts of dietary red meat, eggs and fat are associated with decreased rates of pancreatic cancer

Eating red meat cuts the rate of stomach cancer

This study was published in the International Journal of Cancer 1998 May 29;76(5):659-64

Study title and authors:
Dietary habits and stomach cancer in Shanghai, China.

Ji BT, Chow WH, Yang G, McLaughlin JK, Zheng W, Shu XO, Jin F, Gao RN, Gao YT, Fraumeni JF Jr.
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA. jib@epndce.nci.nih.gov

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9610722

This study examined the connection between various types of food and stomach cancer. Included in the study were 1,124 stomach cancer patients (age 20-69) and 1,451 controls without stomach cancer.

The study found with regard to carbohydrate type food:

• Men with the highest carbohydrate consumption had a 50% increased risk of stomach cancer compared to men with the lowest carbohydrate consumption.
• Women with the highest carbohydrate consumption had a 90% increased risk of stomach cancer compared to women with the lowest carbohydrate consumption.
• Men eating the most noodles and bread had a 10% increase in stomach cancer risk compared to men who ate the least noodles and bread.
• Women eating the most noodles and bread had a 20% increase in stomach cancer risk compared to women who ate the least noodles and bread.

The study found with regard to meat and fat:

• Men eating the most fresh red meat had a 10% decreased risk of stomach cancer compared to men eating the least fresh red meat.
• Women eating the most fresh red meat had a 20% decreased risk of stomach cancer compared to women eating the least fresh red meat.
• Men consuming the most eggs had a 40% reduction in stomach cancer risk compared to the men eating the least eggs.
• Women consuming the most eggs had a 50% reduction in stomach cancer risk compared to the women eating the least eggs.
• Men with the highest fat consumption had 30% less incidence of stomach cancer compared to men with the lowest consumption of fat.
• Women with the highest fat consumption had 40% less incidence of stomach cancer compared to women with the lowest consumption of fat.

This study shows that a high carbohydrate diet increases the risk of stomach cancer whereas a diet high in fat, red meat and eggs lowers the risk of stomach cancer.

Red meat and eggs decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer

This study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology 2002 May 1;155(9):783-92

Study title and authors:

Prospective study of diet and pancreatic cancer in male smokers.

Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, Pietinen P, Taylor PR, Virtamo J, Albanes D.

Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-7232, USA. rs221z@nih.gov

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11978580

This study examined the connection between diet and pancreatic cancer in 27,111 male smokers aged 50-69.

The study found:

• The men who ate the most wheat products had a 23% increased risk of pancreatic cancer than the men who ate the least wheat products.
• The men who ate the most fried meat had a 2% decreased risk of pancreatic cancer compared to the men who ate the least fried meat.
• The men who ate the most red meat had a 5% decreased risk of pancreatic cancer compared to the men who ate the least red meat.
• The men who ate the most eggs had a 14% decreased risk of pancreatic cancer compared to the men who ate the least eggs.

This study shows that wheat increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, whereas red meat and eggs decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Red meat and dietary cholesterol offer protection from pancreatic cancer

This study was published in the International Journal of Cancer 2009 Sep 1;125(5):1118-26

Study title and authors:

Meat and fat intake and pancreatic cancer risk in the Netherlands Cohort Study.

Heinen MM, Verhage BA, Goldbohm RA, van den Brandt PA.

Department of Epidemiology, Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. mirjam.heinen@epid.unimaas.nl

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19452526

This study examined the relationship between pancreatic cancer risk and intake of fresh meat, eggs, total fat, and different types of fat. The diets of 120,852 men and women were analyzed over a 13.3 year period.

The study found:

• Those that consumed the most meat had a 24% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those that consumed the least meat.
• Those that consumed the most red meat had a 46% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those that consumed the least red meat.
• Those that consumed the most pork had a 25% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those that consumed the least pork.
• Those that consumed the most eggs had a 16% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those that consumed the least eggs.
• Those that consumed the most fat had a 5% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those that consumed the least fat.
• Those that consumed the most meat fat had a 37% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those that consumed the least meat fat.
• Those that consumed the most dietary cholesterol had a 27% decreased rate of pancreatic cancer compared to those that consumed the least dietary cholesterol.

This study reveals that red meat, fat and dietary cholesterol offer protection from pancreatic cancer.

Meat and eggs give protection from breast cancer

This study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2003 Mar 5;95(5):373-80

Study title and authors:

Plasma folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, homocysteine, and risk of breast cancer.

Zhang SM, Willett WC, Selhub J, Hunter DJ, Giovannucci EL, Holmes MD, Colditz GA, Hankinson SE.

Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Division of Preventive Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Shumin.Zhang@channing.harvard.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=12618502

The study investigated the association between vitamins B12 and B6 with breast cancer. The dietary habits of 712 women with breast cancer were compared with 712 women without breast cancer.

The study found:

• Women with the highest vitamin B12 had 64% less breast cancer than women with the lowest vitamin B12.
• Women with the highest vitamin B6 had 30% less breast cancer than women with the lowest vitamin B6.

The best dietary sources of vitamin B12 are liver, turkey, fish, beef, lamb and eggs.

Excellent dietary sources of vitamin B6 are liver, eggs, turkey, pork and fish.

High amounts of dietary red meat, eggs and fat are associated with decreased rates of pancreatic cancer

This study was published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 1995 Dec;4(8):885-93

Study title and authors:

Dietary factors and the risk of pancreatic cancer: a case-control study in Shanghai China.

Ji BT, Chow WH, Gridley G, Mclaughlin JK, Dai Q, Wacholder S, Hatch MC, Gao YT, Fraumeni JF Jr.

Division of Epidemiology Columbia University, School of Public Health, New York, New York 10032, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8634662

This study examined the effects of diet on pancreatic cancer. The study included 451 people with pancreatic cancer aged 30 - 74 and 1,552 healthy controls.

The study found:

• Those who consumed the least rice and noodles had a 33% decreased incidence of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate the most rice and noodles.
• Those who ate the most red meat had a 2% decreased incidence of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate the least red meat.
• Those who ate the most eggs had a 56% decreased incidence of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate the least eggs.
• Those who ate the most fat had a 33% decreased incidence of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate the least red fat.

This study shows that high amounts of dietary red meat, eggs and fat are associated with decreased rates of 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.