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Last Updated: Apr 16, 2008 - 5:52:06 PM |
SUNDAY MARCH 30, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- News media reported today that Dith Pran, the Cambodian-born journalist, died at a New Jersey hospital Sunday morning of pancreatic cancer, according to Sydney Schanberg, his former colleague at The New York Times. The cancer was diagnosed almost three months ago.
Dith Pran is known for his harrowing tale of enslavement of eventual escape from Cambodian Khmer Rouge revolutionaries in 1979 based on which the award-wining film "the Killing Fields" was made. For more details about his story, read here.
Pancreatic cancer is probably the most dangerous cancer in the world according to one cancer theory which says that enzymes produced in the pancreatic gland can kill cancer cells.
The prognosis of this disease is extremely poor. Median survival from diagnosis is around 3 to 6 months and more than 95 percent of patients can't live over five years when patients receive conventional treatments, according to wikipedia.
Pancreatic cancer is expected to be diagnosed in 37,680 Americans and it will kill 34,290 in 2008, according to cancer.gov.
It is essentially unknown what can cause the disease and prevention of it from developing is not easy. Cigarette smoking is believed to be the most significant and avoidable risk factor, wikipedia says.
Other adjustable risk factors for pancreatic cancer include diet high in red meat, obesity, diabetes mellitus, chronic pancreatitis, helicobacter pylori infection, occupational exposure to certain pesticide, dyes and chemicals related to gasoline.
Epidemiologic studies however suggested taking vitamin D can cut pancreatic cancer risk by up to 50 percent and dietary B vitamins such as B12, N6 and folate can also reduce the risk.
Summarized below are the studies we published on foodconsumer.org in the past few years to help understand what consumers may do to prevent pancreatic cancer. Of course, there is no conclusive result ever generated from any single study. This will never happen. So don’t wait for a solid conclusion. Use your intuition, common sense and logic to use a healthy diet to help you prevent the lethal disease.
Pancreatic cancer and dietary habits
High blood sugar
Diabetes or high blood sugar levels are linked to some major cancers including pancreatic cancer. A study published in the Jan 12, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that in a population of more than 1 million Korean people age 30 up to 95 followed up during the period of 1992 through 1995, those with high fasting blood glucose levels had a 25 percent higher risk of dying from cancer, particularly pancreatic cancer than those with lower levels. High glucose levels were also linked to increased risk of cancer of the esophagus, liver, colon/rectum and cervix.
It is unknown how high glucose levels are linked to increased risk of cancer. However, one theory of cancer suggests that enzymes produced in the pancreas can kill cancerous cells. High glucose levels mean that the pancreas does not work normally and it can't produce sufficient enzymes to prevent the development of cancers like pancreatic cancer and others. Of course, high glucose levels per se may have an effect on the increase in the cancer risk, but it's unknown whether there has been any study supporting this.
Another study by Par Stattin and colleagues from Umea University Hospital, Umea, Sweden and other organizations showed that the blood sugar levels do not have to be as high as the levels found in diabetics to have an effect on the risk of cancer. High fasting and postload glucose levels in non-diabetics may increase the risk of a variety of cancers including pancreatic cancer by 26 and 31 percent respectively. High fasting blood glucose levels were linked to a 149 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Fruit/vegetables, red meat
Epidemiologic studies showed those who consumed high amounts of fruit/vegetables were less likely to have pancreatic cancer. A study of 585 men with pancreatic cancer and 3,779 controls showed those who ate the highest amounts of fruit and vegetables were 50 percent less likely to have pancreatic cancer than those eating the least. But Western diet featured with meat, sugar and refines grains was not linked to increased risk, neither were drinks such as liquor, wine and beer. The results were published in the May 1, 2005 issue of International Journal Cancer.
However, another study of 190,545 men and women reported on April 20, 2005 at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research suggests that high intake of processed meats such as hot dogs, sausages and luncheon meats may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer in humans. The risk was found 67 percent higher in those who ate processed meats than those who ate the least amounts. A diet rich in pork and read meat was also linked to a 50 percent increased risk of the cancer.
This study did not found any association between pancreatic cancer and consumption of poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs though. Saturated fat/cholesterol or total fat were not linked to an increased risk neither.
The consumption of red meat may also have an impact on the risk of pancreatic cancer in women. A study by Susanna C Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found long-term consumption of red meat was associated with increased risk of the cancer while consumption of poultry was linked to a reduced risk. No association was found between consumption of processed meat, fish or eggs and the risk of pancreatic cancer. The results were published in the June, 2006 issue of International Journal of Cancer.
Red Chili pepper
A study by Sanjay K. Srivastava at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found capsaicin, the "hot” ingredient in red chili pepper, exhibited anticancer activity against pancreatic cancer cells. The compound was found to disrupt the mitochondrial function resulting in the releasing of cytochrome c, which induces apoptosis and promotes programmed cell death in the cancerous cells, but not in normal pancreatic cells. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research held April 16 to 20 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.
This finding was confirmed by Dr. Timothy Bates from the Nottingham University and their report was published in the Jan 2007 issue of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. They found essentially capsaicin destroys the powerhouse in cancer cell mitochondria killing cancerous cells, but has no affect on normal cells.
Compound from croton plant seeds
Rutgers University researchers found 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol -13-acetate (TPA), a compound found in croton plant seeds may help fight pancreatic cancer. The laboratory study was reported in the October, 2005 issue of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. They found TPA alone or together with all-trans retinoic acid can inhibit tumor growth and reduce the tumor size simultaneously by promoting apoptosis (programmed cell death) and mitosis (tumor cell reproduction).
Fizzy drinks
Another study again by Susanna C. Larsson from Karolinska Institutet found high consumption of sweetened food and drink increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. A heavy intake of fizzy drinks, creamed fruit and sugar in coffee are three known ways to increase the risk. According to the study, pancreatic cancer may develop when the pancreas produces heightened levels of insulin as a consequence of upset glucose metabolism. Eating lots of sugar is a well known way to increase insulin production.
Particularly, the study of 80,000 men and women found those who drank fizzy drinks or soft drinks twice or more a day had a 90 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer. People who used sugar to food or drinks at least five times a day were at a 70 percent higher risk than those who did not. And those who ate creamed fruit or sweetened fruit soups or stewed fruit at least once a day were 50 percent more likely to have the disease compared to those who never used creamed fruit.
The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2006.
Dietary Vitamin B6, B12 and folate
A study by Eva Schernhammer and colleagues from Harvard Medical School showed lean people who had high dietary intake of vitamin B6, B12 and folate were 81%, 73% and 59% less likely to have pancreatic cancer respectively.
However, supplementation of vitamins may actually increase the risk. The researchers found that those who reported using multivitamin pills with vitamin B6, B12 and folate had a 139 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Schernhammer suggested that something in the vitamins may fuel pancreatic cancer growth.
Apple compounds
Eating flavonol-rich foods like apples may help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, suggests a new study published in the October 15, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. The study linked high intake of quercetin found in apples and onions with a 25 percent reduced risk of pancreatic cancer among 183,000 people studied. In smokers, the risk reduction was as much as 59 percent.
Whole grains and fiber
A study led by Dr. June M. Chan of the University of California in San Francisco and colleagues found adults who ate two or more servings of whole grains each day could cut their risk of pancreatic cancer by about 40 percent compared to those who ate less than one serving. The results were published in the November 15, 2007 issue of in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The study did not reveal the mechanism behind the effect. But it is possible, according to foodconsumer.org scientist, that fiber in whole grain may slow the rate of the releasing of glucose from grains and reduce the stress on the pancreas.
On the other hand, intake of two or more servings of doughnuts a week, on the other hand, was associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Doughnuts are known to have high amounts of sugars and fat/trans fat. Similar to doughnuts, cooked breakfast cereals were also associated with increased risk.
© 2004-2008 by foodconsumer.org unless otherwise specified
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