Introduction: A healthy diet not only helps maintain weight but also protects the pancreas. According to a report on the Reuters website on September 13, a new U.S. study has found that a healthy diet can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by 15%.
The study, published in the journal of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, shows that while pancreatic cancer is rare, it is one of the most rapidly proliferating and deadliest cancers. To investigate the relationship between diet and cancer risk, researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda analyzed the dietary data of over half a million Americans aged 50 and older. They scored the participants' diet quality based on the U.S. government's Healthy Eating Index, released in 2005.
The researchers also followed the participants for up to 10 years using data from cancer registries and the Social Security Administration. The results showed that 2,383 people developed pancreatic cancer. Among them, about 22% had very low diet quality scores, while another 19% had high scores. Overall, people with healthy diets (which were lower in calories, salt, and sugar, less fried, and rich in fruits and vegetables) had a 15% lower incidence of pancreatic cancer than those with poor diets. The benefits of a healthy diet were greatest for overweight and obese individuals.
For overweight or obese male participants, those with high diet quality scores had a 28% lower risk of pancreatic cancer compared to obese men with low scores. Even after accounting for other factors that influence pancreatic cancer, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and diabetes, the impact of diet quality on pancreatic cancer risk remained significant.
The researchers' analysis found that those who consumed the most certain healthy foods, such as dark green and orange vegetables, beans, whole grains, and low-fat milk, had a lower risk of pancreatic cancer.