Red Meat Linked To Pancreatic Cancer Risk

Category: Cancer

Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate, often because it is not detected until late stages of the disease. During later stages, the cancer spreads outside the pancreas, making surgical removal not possible. Now research reports that pancreatic cancer is linked to a diet high in red meat. However, the study also found that eating poultry may reduce pancreatic cancer risk.

The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, investigated the association of meat, fish, poultry, and egg consumption to the risk of pancreatic cancer. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, reviewed data from 61,433 Swedish women. There were 172 cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed during follow-up from 1987 through 2004. Food frequency questionnaires obtained from the participants at the beginning of the study and in 1997 were analyzed to determine nutrient intake.

The researchers found that long-term red meat intake was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. However, processed meat, fish and eggs were not associated with an increased risk. Findings also revealed that long-term poultry intake was linked to a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer.

"Findings from this prospective study suggest that substituting poultry for red meat might reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer," the study authors write.


REFERENCES:
1. Larsson SC et al. Meat, fish, poultry and egg consumption in relation to risk of pancreatic cancer: a prospective study. Int J Cancer 2006 Jun 1;118(11):2866-70.

Posted by Elaine Gavalas on July 25, 2014 11:00 AM