Intakes of selected foods and beverages and the incidence of gastric cancer among the Japanese residents of Hawaii: a prospective study

Abstract

Background We report on the associations between the intake of certain foods and beverages and the incidence of gastric cancer in a cohort of 11 907 randomly selected Japanese residents of Hawaii (6297 women and 5610 men). MethodsThe daily intake of six beverages, cigarettes and alcohol and the weekly frequency of intake of 13 foods and food groups was estimated with a short food frequency questionniare. Over an average follow-up period of 14.8 years, 108 cases of gastric cancer (44 women, 64 men) were identified via linkage to the Hawaii Tumor Registry. ResultsIn gender-combined proportional hazards analyses, the consumption of fresh fruit seven or more times per week was associated with a significantly reduced risk of gastric cancer, compared to lower levels of consumption (relative hazard (RH): 0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) : 0.4-1.0, P = 0.03). The combined intake of fresh fruit and raw vegetables was inversely associated with the risk of gastric cancer in the total cohort, and among the men (P < 0.05). No significant relationships were found between gastric cancer incidence and the intake of pickled vegetables, miso soup, dried or salted fish, or processed meats among either gender. Compared to non-drinkers, men who drank one cup of coffee per day had a significantly elevated risk of gastric cancer (RH: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.0-6.1, P= 0.05), but there was no evidence of a dose-response relationship. Cigarette smoking and consumption of alcohol were not related to gastric cancer, in analyses restricted to the men. Conclusions The results related to fruit and vegetable intake are consistent with an antinitrosating effect of these foods, while the unexpected association between coffee consumption and gastric cancer is difficult to explain and may represent a chance finding.

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“…The few cohort studies that reported results on salt and stomach cancer risk found no clear associations [48][49][50][51][52][53]. Contrary to our finding that dietary salt intake was associated with an increased stomach cancer risk, the only cohort study that reported on sodium intake found no difference in mean daily sodium intake between cases and non-cases [48].…”

“…Two cohort studies reported a significantly increased risk for consumption of broiled fish (RR ¼ 1.7) [52] and salted fish (RR ¼ 2.0) [50]. The other three cohort studies found no association between stomach cancer incidence and the individual or total intake of several types of high-salted foods [49,51,53]. It is possible that the increased risks could be attributed to other compounds of the foods (possible carcinogens) developed during the preservation process, but not to salt content of the foods [7].…”

“…A cohort study among Hawaiians of Japanese descent reported a non-significant positive association between stomach cancer risk and the consumption of processed meats [48,49]. In an American study, only a positive association was found for bacon [50], and in a third study with subjects of Japanese ancestry no association was found for processed meat [53].…”

Dietary factors and gastric cancer in Korea: A case‐control study

“…In many studies, consumption of food rich in nitrate and nitrite, smoked food, a high salt diet and a 4 A kind of kimchi prepared with salted radish and the same subingredients as Baiechu kimchi.- 5 A kind of kimchi prepared with radish and a large quantity of salt water.-*p Ͻ 0.05; **p Ͻ 0.01. high starch diet have seemed to be risk factors for GC, whereas high consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products have seemed to be protective. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Although controversial, it has been reported that dietary fat, meats, fish, seasonings and beverages such as coffee and tea are also associated with increased risk of GC. 6,10,11,15,24 Intake of charcoal grilled beef significantly increased the risk of GC in our study.…”

“…Most studies on the relationship between diet and GC have suggested that foods rich in nitrate or nitrite, a high salt diet, smoked meat or fish and a high carbohydrate diet increase the risk of GC, whereas high consumption of fresh vegetables, fruits and dairy products decreases the risk of GC, although the findings are not always consistent. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Dietary habits of Korean people can be characterized as a high intake of salty foods and carbohydrates and a higher intake of cooked rather than fresh vegetables. For this reason, it is necessary to investigate the effect of dietary factors on GC in Korea.…”