The Staff of Life -- Or Is It??
A report published online in the International Journal of Cancer [October 10, 2006] has caused a flurry of blog activity on renal cell carcinoma. I quote the article abstract here:
"Although nutrition and diet have been related to renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the role of specific foods or nutrients on this cancer is still controversial. We evaluated the relation between a wide range of foods and the risk of RCC in an Italian case-control study including 767 patients (494 men and 273 women) younger than 79 years with incident, histologically confirmed RCC, and 1,534 controls (988 men and 546 women) admitted to the same hospitals as cases for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic conditions, not related to long term diet modifications. A validated and reproducible food frequency questionnaire, including 78 foods and beverages, plus a separate section on alcohol drinking, was used to assess patients' dietary habits 2 years before diagnosis or hospital admission. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) were obtained after allowance for energy intake and other major confounding factors. A significant direct trend in risk was found for bread (OR = 1.94 for the highest versus the lowest intake quintile), and a modest excess of risk was observed for pasta and rice (OR = 1.29), and milk and yoghurt (OR = 1.27). Poultry (OR = 0.74), processed meat (OR = 0.64) and vegetables (OR = 0.65) were inversely associated with RCC risk. No relation was found for coffee and tea, soups, eggs, red meat, fish, cheese, pulses, potatoes, fruits, desserts and sugars. The results of this study provide further indications on dietary correlates of RCC, and in particular indicate that a diet rich in refined cereals and poor in vegetables may have an unfavorable role on RCC. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc."
This report was picked up in the national news, with headlines that "bread causes cancer". And it's now being hailed as proof that low-carb diets are the one true way to longevity and health. Isn't that going a little far, though?
The investigators seem pretty cautious in their conclusions. I agree that diet is a contributing factor in everyone's health, and this probably will lead to additional, more conclusive research studies. But given what isn't known about renal cell carcinoma, I'm reluctant to point to one thing amongst many and shout, "That's him, officer! He's the one!!!"
Easily-reached conclusions and sweeping statements make me pretty skeptical. Hmmmmm. Maybe I've gotten jaded due to 3 months of "talking point" political ads here in Battlefield Ohio. Ya think??
"Although nutrition and diet have been related to renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the role of specific foods or nutrients on this cancer is still controversial. We evaluated the relation between a wide range of foods and the risk of RCC in an Italian case-control study including 767 patients (494 men and 273 women) younger than 79 years with incident, histologically confirmed RCC, and 1,534 controls (988 men and 546 women) admitted to the same hospitals as cases for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic conditions, not related to long term diet modifications. A validated and reproducible food frequency questionnaire, including 78 foods and beverages, plus a separate section on alcohol drinking, was used to assess patients' dietary habits 2 years before diagnosis or hospital admission. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) were obtained after allowance for energy intake and other major confounding factors. A significant direct trend in risk was found for bread (OR = 1.94 for the highest versus the lowest intake quintile), and a modest excess of risk was observed for pasta and rice (OR = 1.29), and milk and yoghurt (OR = 1.27). Poultry (OR = 0.74), processed meat (OR = 0.64) and vegetables (OR = 0.65) were inversely associated with RCC risk. No relation was found for coffee and tea, soups, eggs, red meat, fish, cheese, pulses, potatoes, fruits, desserts and sugars. The results of this study provide further indications on dietary correlates of RCC, and in particular indicate that a diet rich in refined cereals and poor in vegetables may have an unfavorable role on RCC. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc."
This report was picked up in the national news, with headlines that "bread causes cancer". And it's now being hailed as proof that low-carb diets are the one true way to longevity and health. Isn't that going a little far, though?
The investigators seem pretty cautious in their conclusions. I agree that diet is a contributing factor in everyone's health, and this probably will lead to additional, more conclusive research studies. But given what isn't known about renal cell carcinoma, I'm reluctant to point to one thing amongst many and shout, "That's him, officer! He's the one!!!"
Easily-reached conclusions and sweeping statements make me pretty skeptical. Hmmmmm. Maybe I've gotten jaded due to 3 months of "talking point" political ads here in Battlefield Ohio. Ya think??
Labels: RCC in the news
posted by rcclive at
10:16 AM
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