Fat and Pancreatic Cancer

Two new studies suggest that being obese and eating a high-fat diet may both be associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

Although obesity is already considered a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, one of the new studies suggests that obesity during early adulthood may be especially risky.

The case-control study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, included 841 adults with pancreatic cancer and 754 cancer-free individuals. Both groups were matched by age, race and sex. The participants were asked about their height and weight when they were 14-19 years old and how it changed every 10 years.

The authors found significant associations between pancreatic cancer risk and being overweight at age 14-39 and being obese at age 20-49. In addition, being overweight or obese at age 20-49 was associated with an earlier onset of pancreatic cancer by two to six years. On average, pancreatic cancer was diagnosed at age 61 in overweight or obese patients compared to age 64 in people who were of healthy weight.

Although the risk of developing pancreatic cancer leveled off in people older than 40, disease prognosis was worse in people who were overweight or obese later in life (age 30-79).

Another new study suggests that eating a high-fat diet may also be associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, particularly if the fat comes from animal sources, such as meat and dairy products.

Although earlier studies have examined this potential link, results have been inconsistent. This latest observational study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. The study included 308,736 men and 216,737 women who completed a 124-item food frequency questionnaire from 1995 to 1996. None of the participants had cancer when the study began.

After an average follow-up period of 6.3 years, 865 men and 472 women were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. On average, men and women who ate the most total fat were about 23 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least amount. People who ate the most saturated fat had a 36 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. This risk increased even more (to 43 percent) in people who ate the most saturated fat from animal food sources. The findings remained after adjusting for other risk factors for pancreatic cancer, including smoking, body mass index, energy intake and history of diabetes.

However, this study only shows an association between high-fat diets and pancreatic cancer and does not prove cause and effect. Additional research is needed to fully understand the potential relationship between fat and cancer.

For more information about pancreatic cancer please visit Natural Standard’s Medical Conditions database.

Comments

[Lisa Hanfileti]

Thank you for posting this research study on diet and pancreatic cancer. The cause of this particular cancer appears to be one of the most puzzling.

The only people I know who have had to deal with pancreatic cancer do NOT fall into these categories of obesity and / or a high fat diet. In fact, they were the picture of health when they were diagnosed!

So much more research is needed, and every little bit helps to fill in the multitude of puzzle pieces before this picture becomes clear.

Thanks for your hard work!

Lisa Hanfileti, LAc
http://www.PointsOfOrigin.com

[Regina]

I am someone who is struggling with weight issues and has certainly been overweight during early adulthood. These new studies on the connection between obesity and pancreatic cancer give me yet another reason to watch what I eat. However, I wonder if other risk factors, such as family history of pancreatic cancer, play a larger role in whether or not a person develops this type of cancer.

The second study, which looked into the correlation between high fat intake and pancreatic cancer, did consider other factors, such as smoking and family history of diabetes, but the first study, which connected general obesity and the risk for this particular cancer, did not. It seems further investigation is needed.

[Olga Beliak]

It would be interested to link pancreatic cancer with the type of obesity. Abdominal adipocytes are more hormonally active. Their hormonal role increases at the age of 45 plus, when sexual hormones start to decline.

[S. B.]

Indeed, it is great to see progress on this front, given how quickly pancreatic cancer devastates. We lost a dear friend to it a few years ago, and as Lisa noted above, another very healthy individual who was very active and health conscious.

I believe it is the same type of cancer that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was recently operated on for and that Steve Jobs is rumored to have.

[Healthybody]

I find it interesting to note that eating animal meat and animal-based products such as dairy and cheeses seem to be closely correlated with so many illnesses that Americans are facing. Several of the previous studies posted on Natural Standard talk about the correlation between the harmful effects of eating meat or dairy products. Since I have been blogging on the Natural Standard Web site, I have discovered that if I followed this type of diet, I may be at risk for high cholesterol, different types of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and more. I think that eating more fruits and plants is definitely the smarter choice.

[Melissa]

If anyone is interested in the relationship between eating animal fat and the onset of diseases, including pancreatic cancer, I recommend reading “The China Study."

[Gustave]

I read in a study from The China Post that people with type O blood have a much lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those with type B. This may be a reason why there are plenty of healthy people who develop this disease. I wonder if Patrick Swayze has type B blood??

[Jason]

Although I agree that there are many other factors involved in the risk of developing cancer other than diet, I think it's important to note that there seems to be no way to get around the fact that you must eat healthily and change your diet first and foremost. Most health conditions seem to have an unhealthy diet or lifestyle as a contributing factor.

[Ron]

Thank you for the book recommendation, Melissa. I just looked up "The China Study," and it looks very interesting. I will definitely have to check it out. It is really interesting how so many diseases seem to be related to consuming high-fat diets. I hope this book talks about the mechanism for obesity and high-fat diets causing pancreatic and other types of cancer.

[Bobbi]

I have to agree with Jason. It seems that this article adds to the mountain of evidence suggesting that living a healthy lifestyle, eating well and exercising regularly decreases the risk of adverse health outcomes. I don’t think you necessarily need to cut out an entire food group such as meat, if you can do so while managing a healthy weight. However, moderation is always sound advice.

[Ron]

This study showed that the risk was higher in those who are overweight later life. That is encouraging. It gives some of us some time to adjust our routines to accommodate healthier lifestyles.

[Amanda]

Obesity itself is a great risk factor for development diseases states, including pancreatic cancer, probably because there maybe some toxins in the food that may change the gene/kill the cells in the pancreas. What's important now is to decrease the intake of saturated fat mostly from meat and eat more vegetables, fruits, and the most important thing is exercise.

[sphin]

Thank you so much for bringing up this very important matter. Pancreatic cancer is a good subject to explore.

[Adele]

This is the second article that I have recently read on the NS site that links cancer to meat (in this case high-fat diets consisting of meat and dairy products). In another article, vegetarians were less likely to develop a variety of cancers. Now, this link to pancreatic cancer gives us more reason to eat healthily, and like Amanda said, incorporate veggies/fruit and exercise. Although more research is needed to confirm this relationship, it's still good to keep it in the back of your mind.

[Winny]

It's is not a surprise that being overweight/obese may be linked to pancreatic cancer. In Chinese medicine, it's said that the pancreas is the major organ that regulates the body. People who are overweight may have an overheated system in the body, and the pancreas may not know how to handle the fat anymore. The issue now is that how to reduce the chance of getting pancreatic cancer because it sounds really scary.

[Andrew]

Whinny, that is a fascinating way of explaining how certain conditions in the body affect other parts of the body. It is very enlightening to learn about a medical condition from a different perspective, such as that of Chinese medicine. It sounds like from this article we can help reduce our chances of getting pancreatic cancer by eating less meat and dairy fats, and maintaining a healthy weight.

[Dan]

Thank you for bring to light such an interesting subject. I, myself, am not obese or overweight. However, I have a friend who is a little on the chubby side and loves his meat. I tried to convince him before to change his eating habits. He feels that the worse that can happen to him is that he would have high cholesterol and be on statins for the rest of his life. I hope that if I show him this article, he will see his error and hopefully have a healthier eating habit before it is too late.

[RT]

Surprise! Another disease connected to obesity. I think we are all well-aware that being obese puts people at risk for all kinds of diseases. What’s good about this study, which links obesity, dietary fat intake and pancreatic cancer, is that they linked ages of obesity to disease onset and prognosis. Having a time frame in mind will help us to decide how aggressively we need to encourage our patients to lose weight. Starting early with childhood education about making healthy food choices and daily physical activity is definitely a starting point. But, as people age, it becomes increasingly harder to lose weight for multiple reasons. Setting small goals and individualizing a plan seems to be a reasonable and generally accepted way to initiate and maintain a weight loss program. Including a patient’s specific risk and time frame of a disease will be a helpful tool to motivate the patient and focus pharmacotherapeutic therapy. Future studies should aim to find connections between age/duration of obesity and onset/duration of a disease state to help healthcare professionals individualize therapy plans for each patient.

[y]

I agree with the authors that this study only shows an association between high-fat diets and pancreatic cancer. There are so many other risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer in addition to high-fat diets, and they should not be ignored. Also, the patients' exercise frequency and intake of fruits and vegetables were not evaluated, which can contribute to better health outcomes. I believe it is also essential to remember to screen for cancer to catch the disease earlier on and therefore, increase the likelihood of cure.

[James]

Pancreas is an organ that is located behind the lower part of the stomach, and as name suggests, pancreatic cancer is found in the tissues of pancreas. According to Natural Standard monograph pancreatic cancer is the 4th-leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. Some of the most common risk factors associated with pancreatic cancer are age, chronic pancreatitis, smoking, diabetes, diet (diet high in fat, red meat, pork, and sugar), gender, genetics and lifestyle. We do see that there is risk of pancreatic cancer with fat diet. But more studies like RCTs and meta-analyses must be conducted in order to understand the specifics link between a high-fat diet and pancreatic cancer risk.

[Tommy]

I wonder if this connection between obesity and pancreatic cancer is due to the toxin received with a bad diet or to just generally being overweight. Some individuals are just genetically prone to be on the larger side, and their weight has very little to do with their diets. I wonder if individuals who are overweight, yet still maintain healthy diets/lifestyles are still at a higher risk for pancreatic cancer?

[Tom Brady]

Well, this is another study that just adds to the millions of other research that suggests how important diet is to your health. We know that a poor diet contributes to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory issues, gastrointestinal diseases, kidney disease, certain cancers and liver dysfunction. There are other studies that show correlations between diet and other ailments, which is why we always need to balance our diet with the good stuff like fruits and veggies. It’s sad to know that many of today’s illnesses can be prevented simply by what we take in.

[Hubert]

Having a higher percentage of body fat does not necessarily reflect a high-fat diet. On the opposite side, high-fat diets don’t necessarily cause someone to be obese. The same diet in two different people is metabolized in two completely different ways, and they may affect each of those individuals differently. The concerns that this study shines light upon are all of those with high-fat fad diets like Atkins. These diets are extremely high in fat and protein, and those who continue this seem to be at an increased risk of developing one of the fastest spreading, deadliest cancers known, according to this information. Are obese people who eat a high-fat diet at a combined risk? Or is the risk in this population even greater than the sum of the two?

[ursula]

As a woman whose father, grandmother and uncle all died from pancreatic cancer, I have many questions. My cholesterol has been high since my mid 20s. I have always been slim and healthy. I'm not a smoker and I'm a light drinker.

My grandmother, father and uncle did not smoke, drink and weren't fat people. My father did have high cholesterol and my grandmother developed diabetes and died shortly after from pancreatic cancer, with the cancer most likely being the cause of the diabetes. My uncle, who shared the fate of his mother and younger brother with his doctor, was told to go home and take some antacids; upon his return 6 months later, he was told to go home and die because the cancer was now detectable but too far spread.

This is very scary for me. Please keep researching, as I hope that by the time my children are older adults better detection will be in place.