High consumption of processed meats, like sausages and those used in hot dogs, might lead to a 70 per cent higher risk of pancreatic cancer, a study has found. In addition, those who showed high intake of red meats and pork, 70 grams or more per day, also faced a 50 per cent higher risk of pancreatic cancer.
“The results suggest that carcinogenic substances related to meat preparation, rather than their inherent fat or cholesterol content, might be responsible for the association,” said Ute Nöthlings, the lead author of the study. However, high intake of other non-vegetarian items like fish, dairy products, eggs and white meats did not pose a similar risk.
“An analysis of fat and saturated fat intakes showed a significant increase in risk for fats from meat, but not from dairy products, indicating that fat and saturated fat are not likely to contribute to the underlying carcinogenic mechanism,” said Nöthlings.
The multiethnic study took into account the diet of 190,545 men and women of various ethnicities like African-American, Caucasian, Japanese-American, Native Hawaiian and Latino. After seven years, 482 cases of pancreatic cancer were reported. Researchers from the Cancer Research Center and USC found that those who took more than 40 grams of processed meats per day were 70 per cent more susceptible to pancreatic cancer than those with lower intake.
“Our study is the largest of its kind to demonstrate a link between high consumption of processed meats over long periods of time and pancreatic cancer. The sample size allowed us to obtain statistically significant risk-estimates that support this hypothesis,” said Nöthlings, adding that the study did not take account different kinds of cooking methods.
The study was presented at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
