Bread and cereals increase the risk of colon cancer by 69%

This study was published in the International Journal of Cancer 1997 Jul 3;72(1):56-61

Study title and authors:
Food groups and risk of colorectal cancer in Italy.

Franceschi S, Favero A, La Vecchia C, Negri E, Conti E, Montella M, Giacosa A, Nanni O, Decarli A.
Servizio di Epidemiologia, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano (PN), Italy. franceschis@ets.it

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9212223

This study investigated the influence of various food groups on the risk of colon cancer. The dietary habits of  1,953 subjects with colon cancer and 4,154 subjects without cancer were compared.

The study found:
(a) Those with the highest consumption of eggs had an 8% decrease in colon cancer rates compared to those who ate the least amount of eggs.
(b) Those who ate the most bread and cereal had a 69% increased risk of colon cancer compared to those who ate the least bread and cereal.
(c) Those who ate the most potatoes had a 20%  increased risk of colon cancer compared to those who ate the least potatoes.

This study shows that starchy food is a high risk factor for colon cancer.

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High carbohydrate diets lead to a significant increase in colon cancer

This study was published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 2002 Feb;11(2):187-93

Study title and authors:
Carbohydrates and colorectal cancer risk among Chinese in North America.

Borugian MJ, Sheps SB, Whittemore AS, Wu AH, Potter JD, Gallagher RP.
Cancer Control Research, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 4E6 Canada. mborugia@bccancer.bc.ca

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11867506

This study investigated the association between carbohydrate consumption and colon cancer. The study contained 473 people with colon cancer and 1,192 men and women without colon cancer.

The study found:
(a) Men who consumed the most carbohydrates had a 70% increased risk of colon cancer compared to men who consumed the least.
(b) Women who consumed the most carbohydrates had a 170% increased risk of colon cancer compared to women who consumed the least.

This study reveals that a high carbohydrate diet leads to a significant increase in colon cancer.

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A higher fat diet reduces colon cancer by 8% compared to a low fat diet

This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association 2006 Feb 8;295(6):643-54

Study title and authors:

Low-fat dietary pattern and risk of colorectal cancer: the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial.

Beresford SA, Johnson KC, Ritenbaugh C, Lasser NL, Snetselaar LG

Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7236, USA. beresfrd@u.washington.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16467233

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a low-fat eating pattern on risk of colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women. In this 8 year trial 48,835 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 were recruited from 40 clinical centers throughout the United States and divided into 2 groups:
(i) Women in group (i) had an intensive behavioral modification program aimed to motivate and support reductions in dietary fat, to increase consumption of vegetables and fruits, and to increase grain servings by using group sessions, self-monitoring techniques, and other tailored and targeted strategies. (Low fat group)
(ii) Women in group (ii) continued eating as normal. (Higher fat group)

The study found:
(a) The women in the low fat group ate around 10% less fat compared to the women in the higher fat group.
(b) The women in the low fat group ate significantly more vegetable, fruit, and grain servings compared to the women in the higher fat group.
(c) The women in the low fat group had an 8% increase in colon cancer compared to the women in the higher fat group.

This 8 year study revealed that a higher fat diet reduces colon cancer by 8% compared to a low fat diet.

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Research by a Nobel prize winner shows that high carbohydrate diets cause cancer

This paper was published in Science 24 February 1956: Vol. 123 no. 3191 pp. 309-314

Study title and author:
On the origin of cancer cells
Warburg O

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/123/3191/309.extract

Otto Warburg won the Nobel prize for medicine in 1931 for discovering that cancer cells are fundamentally different compared to healthy cells.

He found that energy and growth in cancer cells is mainly generated by the fermentation of glucose, unlike normal cells which contain tiny organelles inside them called mitochondria which work away producing enegy to keep the cells healthy. The mitochohdrial activity in cancer cells is impaired and cancer cells can use glucose by up to 200 fold the rate of healthy cells.

How does this relate to cancer and diet?

To produce energy humans mainly use either:
(i) Fat and ketone bodies.
(ii) Glucose.

Fat may be provided by dietary fat, and ketone bodies are compounds that are produced when fats are broken down for energy by the liver and kidneys. Almost all carbohydrates are broken down by the body into glucose.

Fat and ketone bodies need mitochondria to provide energy, whilst glucose also has the ability to provide energy by fermentation. This means that fat, ketone bodies and glucose can be used for energy by healthy cells, but only glucose can be used by cancer cells.

The implication of this is if you follow a very low carbohydrate diet it is very difficult for cancerous cells to survive because they will have little or no energy to feed on.

Warburgs research shows that a high carbohydrate diet will encourage cancer growth, whereas a diet low in carbohydrate and high in fat discourages the growth of cancer.          

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High levels of HDL cholesterol are associated with lower levels of breast cancer

This study was published in Cancer Causes and Control 1992 Sep;3(5):403-8

Study title and authors:

Serum lipids and breast cancer risk: a cohort study of 5,207 Danish women.

Høyer AP, Engholm G.

Danish Cancer Registry, Copenhagen.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1525320

The association between high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglyceride levels and breast cancer risk was investigated in  5,207 Danish women, aged 30 - 80 over a 26 year period.

The study found:
(a) Higher triglyceride levels were associated with higher breast cancer incidence.
(b) Women who had the highest HDL cholesterol had a 70% reduction in breast cancer risk.

High Triglyceride levels are caused by low fat, high carbohydrate diets. See here.

The best way to increase your HDL cholesterol levels is to consume a diet rich in saturated fat. See here, here , here, here, and here.

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Low cholesterol increases cancer rates by 42%

This study was published in the Annals of Oncology 2009 Jun;20(6):1113-20

Study title and authors:

Time-dependent association of total serum cholesterol and cancer incidence in a cohort of 172,210 men and women: a prospective 19-year follow-up study.

Strasak AM, Pfeiffer RM, Brant LJ, Rapp K, Hilbe W, Oberaigner W, Lang S, Borena W, Concin H, Diem G, Ruttmann E, Glodny B, Pfeiffer KP, Ulmer H; VHM&PP Study Group.

Department of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Health Economics, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria. alexander.strasak@i-med.ac.at

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19164459

The study investigated the association of cholesterol levels with subsequent cancer incidence in 172,210 Austrian adults who were followed for up to 19 years. 

The study found:
(a) Cancer rates in the men with the highest cholesterol (more than 235 mg/dL or 6.0 mmol/l) were up to 42% lower than the men with the lowest cholesterol.
(b) Cancer rates in the women with the highest cholesterol (more than 229 mg/dL or 5.9 mmol/l) were up to 31% lower than the women with the lowest cholesterol.

The study shows how low cholesterol is associated with increased cancer rates in men and women.

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Statins increase lymphoid malignancy rates by 124%

This study was published in Cancer Science 2006 Feb;97(2):133-8

Study title and authors:

Use of hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors is associated with risk of lymphoid malignancies.

Iwata H, Matsuo K, Hara S, Takeuchi K, Aoyama T, Murashige N, Kanda Y, Mori S, Suzuki R, Tachibana S, Yamane M, Odawara M, Mutou Y, Kami M.

Department of Cardiology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo 105-8470, Japan.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16441424

The study examined the association between statin use and development of lymphoid malignancies. Statin use of 221 cases with proven lymphoid malignancies (lymphoma and myeloma), from Toranomon Hospital (Tokyo, Japan) was compared with statin use of 879 patients without malignancies from the same hospital.

The study found there was a 124% higher frequency of statin use among patients with lymphoid malignancies in comparison with the other patients.

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