Dietary iron linked to upper GI cancer risk

	Tweet

Consumption of high levels of dietary iron appear to be associated with an increased risk of throat and stomach cancer, researchers report. However, the risk is decreased with higher levels of zinc.

In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, Dr. David R. Jacobs, of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and colleagues examined data from the Iowa Women’s Health Study involving 34,708 postmenopausal women (ages 55 to 69 years at study enrollment) who completed food consumption questionnaires.

The women were followed for 16 years. During that period, 75 cases of upper digestive tract cancer (52 stomach cancers and 23 throat cancers) were reported. The team found a positive association between iron intake and the risk of upper digestive tract cancer. However, an inverse association was observed between zinc intake and cancer risk.

The subjects were divided into groups based on dietary iron levels, and risk factors including age, total calorie consumption, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, were considered.

The increased risk of upper digestive tract cancers, from the lowest to the highest dietary iron levels, were zero to almost three-fold. The corresponding risks for dietary zinc levels were zero to less than 13 percent.

The results were not altered after consideration of other potential risk factors such as body mass index, physical activity score, hormone replacement therapy, multivitamin intake and intake of saturated fat, retinol, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate from food and supplements.

“Our current and previous results strongly suggest that both iron and zinc play important roles in carcinogenesis of digestive tract, probably through the mechanism of oxidative stress,” Jacobs and colleagues comment.

SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, November 2005.

RELATED STORIES:
Chemotherapy After Gastric Cancer Surgery Appears to Provide Survival Benefit   New research from Rhode Island Hospital may help predict outcomes for stomach cancer patients   Asians with gastric cancer have better prognosis   Broccoli Sprouts May Prevent Stomach Cancer by Defeating Helicobacter Pylori   Novel gene mutations associated with bile duct cancer   Genetic Mutations Identified for Type of Gastric Cancer   Smokeless tobacco associated with stomach cancer   Yes-associated protein: Early diagnosis of gastric carcinoma   Candidate markers for gastric cancer   Study Examines Incidence of Gastric Cancer   Roche’s Xeloda effective in stomach cancer   T-regulatory lymphocytes in gastrointestinal cancer   Eating processed meats raises stomach cancer risk   Red meat linked to esophageal, stomach cancer risks   Gastrin Plays Significant Role in Helicobacter-Induced Stomach Cancer   Experts identify critical genes mutated in stomach cancer   Molecule identified that increases survival of stomach cancer patients

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]