Fatty diet linked to cancer of the pancreas

People who consumed large amounts of saturated fats increased their chances of contracting pancreatic cancer by a third than those who consumed low amounts, revealed the study.

The study and the findings
For the purpose of the study, the researchers analyzed over half a million people. These participants were quizzed on their dietary habits for, on average, a six-year period.

The participants included 308,736 men and 216,737 women, who completed a 124-item food questionnaire in 1995 and 1996.

During the period of the study, 1,337 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The study found that the males whose intake of fat from animal sources was high had a 53 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate least amount of fat.

In case of females, there was a 23 percent higher rate of the disease in those eating the maximum amount of fat vis-à-vis those who ate the minimum amount of fat.

Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon, chief author and leader of the institute's pancreatic cancer project, said that the results of the study were unequivocal and confirmed that “reducing fat may reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer."

"We did not observe any consistent association with poly-unsaturated or fat from plant food sources," she said. "Altogether, these results suggest a role for animal fat in pancreatic carcinogenesis."

Study praised by expert
Dr Brian Wolpin, of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and Dr Meir Stampfer, of the Harvard School of Public Health, termed the study as a "welcome addition to the understanding of a disease that is in great need of new insights.”

Dr. Wolpin also offered some undeniable grounds for making lifestyle alterations and steer clear of pancreatic cancer. He wrote in his editorial, “We know very little about pancreatic cancer and what the causes are, and we don’t do a very good job treating it.”