Monday, July 23, HealthDay News)-a diet high in antioxidants such as selenium and vitamins C and E can reduce the risk of cancer of the pancreas in up to two-thirds, suggests a new study.
The study is observational in nature and can only suggest an association, not a cause and effect relationship. However, British researchers say that if further research confirms a direct link, this type of diet can prevent the 8 percent of pancreatic cancer cases.
An expert said that there has been much research into the relationship between diet and cancer.
"" The years there have been many attempts to find dietary causes of cancer, said Dr. Vincent Vinciguerra, Chief of Oncology and Hematology at North Shore-LIJ Monter Cancer Center in Lake Success, New York "it is estimated that 35 percent of cancers are related to carcinogens in the diet. Antioxidants have been subject to numerous essays because in theory it could be fundamental in the prevention of carcinogenesis."
In the new study, researchers led by the Dr. Andrew Hart of the University of East Anglia tracked the health of more than 23,500 people long-term, 40 to 74 years who entered the study between 1993 and 1997. Each participant maintains a food diary detailing the types, quantity and method of preparation for each food you ate for seven days.
After 10 years, 49 participants (55 per cent of whom were men) had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In 2010, the number of participants diagnosed with pancreatic cancer increased to 86 (44 per cent were men). On average, patients survived six months after diagnosis.
The researchers found that people with greater intake of selenium were half as likely to develop cancer of the pancreas than those with the lowest consumption. Those who consume greater ingestion of three antioxidants, selenium and vitamins C and E--were 67 percent less likely to develop pancreatic cancer compared with those with the lowest consumption.
The study was published online July 23 in the journal Gut.
Previous studies using antioxidant supplements have not produced results as encouraging, but this may be because the antioxidants in food behave differently than the supplements, they told Hart and colleagues.
Vinciguerra agreed that the research so far on this issue has been "conflicting".
For example, he said, there was "a recent study involved prevention of cancer of prostate with vitamin E and selenium [that] showed no benefit".
"Selenium has also served in a study to prevent the lung cancer, that was negative," he added. "Vitamin C also has no proven prevention activities."
Even so, food and cancer may interact differently depending on the type of tumor, said Vinciguerra.
"The current study using food diaries is expected that it is providing useful information on this disease, which is often highly lethal," he said. "Prevention information should be prosecuted".
"The next step would be to do a prospective study of antioxidants in patients with increased risk of pancreatic cancer to verify the current findings," said Vinciguerra.
Meanwhile, he said, "we are recommending diets low in fat, red meat decreased [and] more fruits, vegetables, chicken and fish for our cancer patients, that like most provides antioxidants that hopefully it provides some degree of preventing recurrence.
Pancreatic cancer kills more than 250,000 people worldwide each year. Only 3 percent of people diagnosed with the disease live longer than five years. Genes, smoking and type 2 diabetes are all risk factors, but the diet is believed to play a role also.
The American Cancer Society more recent estimates for cancer of the pancreas in the United States for 2012 are: 43,900 on new cases and a few 37.400 deaths by the disease. The risk of pancreatic cancer is about one in 71, according to the society.
More information
The American cancer society has more about cancer of the pancreas.
SOURCES: Chief of Vincent Vinciguerra, M.D., Don Monti Division of Oncology/Hematology, North Shore LIJ Monter Cancer Center, Lake Success, New York; Gut, press release, July 23, 2012
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