Western and Japanese diets up colon cancer risk 2 hours, 41 minutes ago

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Western and Japanese diets up colon cancer risk 2 hours, 41 minutes ago

 

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Both the meat-laden " Western " diet and the

traditional, salty diet of the Japanese apparently increase the risk of colon

cancer -- at least for women -- findings from a large study suggest.

 

 

 

 

Researchers in Japan found that among more than 42,000 adults followed for 10

years, women (but not men) with either a Western pattern of eating or a diet

heavy in traditional Japanese foods like salted fish and pickled vegetables had

a higher risk of colon cancer compared with women who were deemed healthy

eaters.

 

For their study, the investigators defined three different dietary patterns

based on survey respondents' reported eating habits. One was dubbed the Western

dietary pattern, and was marked by high intakes of meat, poultry, cheese and

bread and butter. A second category, the " traditional " dietary pattern, was

built around rice, salted fish and pickled vegetables.

 

The third dietary pattern was the " healthy " one, and it included high amounts of

fruits, vegetables, soy products, beans and dairy.

 

Overall, women whose diets were the most Western had more than double the risk

of developing colon cancer as women with the least Westernized diets. Similarly,

women who ate the most traditional foods were twice as likely as those who ate

the fewest to be diagnosed with colon cancer.

 

The healthy eating pattern was not linked to colon cancer risk at all.

 

Dr. Mi Kyung Kim and colleagues at the National Cancer Center in Tokyo report

the findings in the July 10th issue of the International Journal of Cancer.

 

A number of studies have suggested that diets high in animal products and

saturated fat may raise the risk of colon cancer. A large European study

published last week found that people who regularly ate hefty servings of red or

processed meat had an elevated risk of the disease, as did people who got little

fiber in their diets.

 

In that study, fish consumption in general was tied to a lower risk of colon

cancer.

 

In addition, heavy consumption of salted fish and vegetables, staples of the

traditional Japanese diet in the current study, has been tied to higher colon

cancer risk. The reasons are unclear, but research in lab animals has shown that

substances in salt-preserved foods called nitrosamines may promote cancerous

changes in cells, Kim's team points out.

 

Why the various diets in their study were linked to colon cancer only among

women is uncertain. It's possible, the team suggests, that smoking and habitual

drinking -- two habits associated with colon cancer -- weighed more heavily than

diet in men's risk of the disease.

 

The American Cancer Society recommends that people exercise regularly and follow

a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains as one way to lower the risk

of colon cancer.

 

SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, July 10, 2005.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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