Positive Health Online

Abstract

SLATTERY and colleagues, Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84108 USA write that levels of triglycerides, glucose and insulin are related to colon cancer risk and that high levels of simple sugars in the diet increase colon cancer risk.

Background

Methodology

The authors conducted a case-control study with 1993 cancer cases and 2410 controls and studied the association between dietary sugars, foods containing high sugar levels, dietary glycaemic index (GI) and colon cancer . A dietary GI was developed which estimated metabolic response to a diet which could increase glucose plasma levels. A validated dietary questionnaire was used to obtain dietary data.

Results

High levels of sucrose intake were associated with increased risk of colon cancer in young men - odds ratio (OR) for highest relative to lowest quintile = 1.59. There was also a trend of increasing colon cancer risk associated with a higher sucrose: dietary ratio for proximal (nearest to the head or source) tumours in both men and women. Individuals with proximal tumours who consumed a diet categorised as having a high GI had a higher risk: OR = 1.58 for highest compared to lowest quintile. The greatest risk from a high dietary GI were for sedentary individuals: for men, relative to the most active with low-GI diet OR = 3.46 for women OR = 2.00. Additionally, people with a high sucrose: dietary fibre ratio and who were also sedentary and had a large body mass index had an increased risk: OR = 4.58, compared to those with low sucrose: dietary fibre ratio, were active and with low body mass index.

Conclusion

: These data support previous published research reporting that dietary sugars, especially diets high in simple carbohydrates rather than complex carbohydrates, increase the risk of colon cancer, possibly via their impact on plasma glucose levels .

References

Slattery ML et al. Dietary sugar and colon cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 6(9): 677-85. Sep 1997 .