| Winter
2004• Volume XIII, Number 1
The Cancer Project: The News You Need
By Kristine Kieswer
Hold the Cheese, Halt Cancer
 Testicular
cancer is among the most common cancers in men between 20 and 45
years of age. A study from the University of Ottawa shows that a
high intake of dairy products, particularly cheese, as well as baked
goods and luncheon meats, may contribute to its development. Researchers
collected data from 601 testicular cancer cases and 744 population-based
controls from eight Canadian provinces between 1994 and 1997, examining
nutrients, food groups, and particular foods using food-frequency
questionnaires. It is suspected that female sex hormones found in
dairy products could play a role.
Garner MJ, Birkett NJ, Johnson KC, Shatenstein B, Ghadirian P,
Krewski D. Dietary risk factors for testicular carcinoma. Int J
Cancer 2003;106:934-41.
A second study found that calcium may play a role in cancer development,
especially for prostate cancer. As part of the Cancer Prevention
Study II Nutrition Cohort, researchers examined the association
between calcium, dairy intake, and prostate cancer incidence, asking
65,321 male participants to complete detailed questionnaires on
diet, medical history, and lifestyle. Total calcium intake (from
diet and supplements) was associated with modestly increased risk
of prostate cancer. High dietary calcium intake was also associated
with increased risk. One potential biological mechanism is that
high calcium intake down-regulates 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D, which
may increase cell proliferation in the prostate.
Rodriguez C, McCullough ML, Mondul AM, et al. Calcium, dairy
products, and risk of prostate cancer in a prospective cohort of
United States men. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2003;12:597-603.
Breast Cancer Again Linked to Animal Fat
Intake of animal fat, especially from red meat and high-fat dairy
products, during premenopausal years is associated with an increased
risk of breast cancer, according to a report in the Journal of the
National Cancer Institute. Harvard researchers conducted a prospective
analysis of 90,655 premenopausal women aged 26 to 46 enrolled in
the Nurses’ Health Study II using food-frequency questionnaires.
Because an increased risk was not associated with eating vegetable
fats, researchers hypothesize that other components of meat, such
as hormones or carcinogens that develop during cooking, may be to
blame.
Cho E, Spiegelman D, Hunter DJ, et al. Premenopausal fat intake
and risk of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 2003;95:1079-85.
HRT Update
A new study presented more evidence that hormone replacement therapy
(HRT) is linked to breast cancer. The good news is that stopping
HRT can bring risk back down.
More than one million British women aged 50 to 64 provided information
about their use of HRT and were tracked by researchers for cancer
incidence and mortality. Breast cancer risk was substantially greater
for women using estrogen-progestin combination drugs, and their
risk rose with each additional year of HRT usage. Researchers estimate
that use of HRT over the past decade has resulted in 20,000 extra
breast cancer cases in the UK, the majority associated with estrogen-progestin
compounds. But five years after cessation, risk came back down.
Million Women Study Collaborators. Breast cancer and hormone-replacement
therapy in the Million Women Study. Lancet 2003; 362:419-27.
Teen Weight Tied to Ovarian Cancer
Women who were tall and heavy as youngsters appear to be at greater
risk for developing ovarian cancer later in life. Researchers at
the Norwegian Institute of Public Health analyzed data on more than
one million women who were tracked for an average of 25 years. Girls
with a body mass index in the top 15 percent of the group were 56
percent more likely to develop this type of cancer. The tallest
girls in the group also had a higher risk.
Engeland A, Tretli S, Bjorge T. Height, body mass index, and ovarian
cancer: a follow-up of 1.1 million Norwegian women. J Natl Cancer
Inst 2003;95:1244-8.
 Plant
Compounds Combat Endometrial Cancer
Consumption of phytoestrogens (weak estrogens found in plants) was
associated with a reduced risk for endometrial cancer, as reported
in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. A case-control
study compared 500 women aged 35 to 79 with endometrial cancer to
470 controls, looking at intakes of three classes of phytoestrogens:
isoflavones, coumestans, and lignans. Women with the highest intakes
of isoflavones and lignans had a 41 and 32 percent reduced risk,
respectively. The highest risk for endometrial cancer was seen in
obese women consuming the least amount of plant-derived phytoestrogens.
Horn-Ross PL, John E, Canchola AJ, Stewart SL, Lee MM. Phytoestrogen
intake and endometrial cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 2003;95:1158-63.
Low-Fat Diet Boosts Immunity
Tufts University scientists have found that, when volunteers with
high cholesterol levels switched to a low-fat diet, they not only
lost weight, but significantly enhanced their immunity, an important
factor in cancer prevention. Ten participants were initially instructed
to follow a standard American-style diet deriving 35 percent of
calories from fat. Then they followed three subsequent diets: one
made up of 26 percent fat, one made up of 15 percent fat, and, lastly,
a 15-percent fat diet with a further reduction in calories. Each
diet drove cholesterol levels down, but only the last phase was
associated with marked improvement in cellular immune response.
Santos MS, Lichtenstein AH, Leka LS, Goldin B, Schaefer EJ, Meydani
SN. Immunological effects of low-fat diets with and without weight
loss. J Am Coll Nutr 2003;22:174-82.
Bingham SA, Day NE, Luben
R, et al. Dietary fibre in food and protection against colorectal
cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and
Nutrition (EPIC): an observational study. Lancet 2003;361:1496-501.
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