Meaty Diet Linked to Pancreatic Cancer
April 20, 2005 (Anaheim, Calif.) -- New studies presented at a major cancer meeting reinforce the old adage that you are what you eat (and drink).
One study shows that green tea may stave off prostate cancer. Another study suggests that eating a lot of hot dogs, sausage, and other processed meats may raise the risk of pancreatic cancerrisk of pancreatic cancer.
Loading up on red meat also seems to increase the chance of developing pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly of tumors, says study researcher Ute Nothlings, DrPH, MSE.
"The findings suggest that eating less processed meat and less red meat might help prevent pancreatic cancer," she tells WebMD. Nothlings is a researcher at the Cancer Research Center at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.
Red meat has also been linked to an increase in colon cancer.linked to an increase in colon cancer.
For the study, the researchers examined the relationship between diet and pancreatic cancer among nearly 200,000 men and women.
When they first entered the study in the mid-1990s, all the participants filled out a detailed questionnaire that asked what foods they had eaten in the past year, how frequently they had eaten them, and how much they had eaten.
By an average of seven years later, 482 of the men and women had developed pancreatic cancer.
Those who ate more than 1.5 ounces of processed meat a day were about two-thirds more likely to have pancreatic cancer than those who tended to stay away from hot dogs and sausages.
People who ate more than 2 ounces of red meat or pork a day increased their risk by about 50%, Nothlings says. These findings held true after taking into account known risk factors, such as smoking and a family history of pancreatic cancer.
But it appeared that people can eat poultry, dairy products and eggs with impunity, at least where pancreatic cancer is concerned. The study showed no link between those foods and the cancer.
Although fish has been shown to be protective against many diseases, the researchers found no link to pancreatic cancer risk.
One study shows that green tea may stave off prostate cancer. Another study suggests that eating a lot of hot dogs, sausage, and other processed meats may raise the risk of pancreatic cancerrisk of pancreatic cancer.
Loading up on red meat also seems to increase the chance of developing pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly of tumors, says study researcher Ute Nothlings, DrPH, MSE.
"The findings suggest that eating less processed meat and less red meat might help prevent pancreatic cancer," she tells WebMD. Nothlings is a researcher at the Cancer Research Center at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.
Red meat has also been linked to an increase in colon cancer.linked to an increase in colon cancer.
Diving Into the Meat of the Matter
For the study, the researchers examined the relationship between diet and pancreatic cancer among nearly 200,000 men and women.
When they first entered the study in the mid-1990s, all the participants filled out a detailed questionnaire that asked what foods they had eaten in the past year, how frequently they had eaten them, and how much they had eaten.
By an average of seven years later, 482 of the men and women had developed pancreatic cancer.
Those who ate more than 1.5 ounces of processed meat a day were about two-thirds more likely to have pancreatic cancer than those who tended to stay away from hot dogs and sausages.
People who ate more than 2 ounces of red meat or pork a day increased their risk by about 50%, Nothlings says. These findings held true after taking into account known risk factors, such as smoking and a family history of pancreatic cancer.
But it appeared that people can eat poultry, dairy products and eggs with impunity, at least where pancreatic cancer is concerned. The study showed no link between those foods and the cancer.
Although fish has been shown to be protective against many diseases, the researchers found no link to pancreatic cancer risk.
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