FRIDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- High consumption of processed meat may be associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer, according to a study published in the Aug. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Susanna Larsson, M.Sc., of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of six cohort studies involving 2,209 stomach-cancer patients and nine case-control studies involving 2,495 patients.
The researchers found that a 30-gram daily increase in processed meat consumption, about half of an average serving, was associated with a 15 percent increased stomach-cancer risk in the cohort studies and a 38 percent increased risk in the case-control studies. They also found a 37 percent increased risk in patients with the highest versus the lowest consumption of bacon.
"Future studies should control for more potential confounders and examine whether the association between processed meat consumption and stomach cancer risk is modified by other dietary factors, H. pylori infection status, or genetic polymorphisms," the authors conclude. "In addition, whether the association differs according to histologic subtype or anatomic subsite warrants further study."
Abstract
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