A 40 percent reduction in pancreatic cancer is related to eating more whole grain and fiber-rich food.
The reduced risk was identified among adults who ate two or more servings of whole grains each day compared with those who ate less than one serving a day.
In addition, a 35 percent reduction in risk among individuals who ate the highest amount of fiber (26.5 grams per day or more) compared with those who ate the least (15.6 grams per day or less).
“There is a possibility that diet can affect one’s risk of pancreatic, as well as other cancers,” Chan told Reuters Health, “and that eating a diet rich in a wide variety of grains is likely to not only help in the prevention of diabetes and heart disease, but also this very deadly cancer.”
The researchers looked at grain intake among 532 people with pancreatic cancer and 1,701 people without pancreatic cancer among the San Francisco Bay area population. Overall, the results of the study suggest that eating more whole grains may protect against pancreatic cancer.
“The risk reductions associated with some whole grain foods and fiber provide general support for the hypothesis that whole grains are better than more refined and sweetened grains for pancreatic cancer prevention,” Chan said.
American Journal of Epidemiology, June M. Chan, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues. November 15, 2007.
