- The relationship between obesity and cancer is clear, and researchers have also been interested in investigating whether there is a similar link between diet and cancer risk
- The role of smoking in causing lung cancer has been firmly established for decades but other lifestyle factors have received less attention.
- A large observational study of older adults in the United States has shown that a low-fat diet is associated with a lower risk of lung cancer, and a high-fat diet is associated with a higher risk of lung cancer in smokers.
A low-fat diet has been associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in a cohort of people in the United States.
Researchers from China analyzed data from a cohort of over 98,000 people taking part in a U.S.-based cancer study, and found a 24% lower risk of lung cancer in people who had the lowest amount of fat in their diets.
This reduction was even more pronounced, standing at a 29% reduced risk in smokers who had the lowest-fat diets.
These results were reported in the The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging. Overall, they suggest that diets high in saturated fats were associated with a 35% increased risk of lung cancer, in general, and double the risk of small-cell lung cancer.
Researchers analyzed data from
Participants were recruited between November 1993–July 2001, and data on cancer incidence and mortality was collected 2009 and 2018.
Participants’ medical histories were collected, including information on their diet provided via a dietary questionnaire that asked about calorie consumption, macronutrients, and the amount of food they ate from different parts of the food pyramid, such as fruits and vegetables, lean meat, dairy, and added sugars.
The participants’ average age was 65 at follow-up, the cohort was predominantly white, with 47.96% of participants being male.
Researchers cross-referenced these data with data…
Read the full article here
