High Bread Consumption May Raise Risk of Renal Cell Cancer

NEW YORK OCT 20, 2006 (Reuters Health) - A diet high in refined cereals and low in vegetables is associated with an elevated risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to findings from a case-control study in Italy.

Diet and nutrition are thought to play a role in the development of RCC, but the effect of specific food groups on the risk of this malignancy is controversial, lead author Dr. Francesca Bravi, from Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" in Milan, and colleagues state.

In the current study, reported in the October 20th online issue of the International Journal of Cancer, Dr. Bravi"s team used food frequency questionnaires to compare the diets of 767 RCC patients in the 2 years prior to diagnosis to those of 1534 controls who were admitted to the same hospitals for acute, non-neoplastic disorders.

Comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of intake, consumption of bread, pasta and rice, and milk and yogurt increased the risk of RCC by 94%, 29%, and 27%, respectively.

Conversely, intake of poultry, processed meat, and vegetable appeared to reduce the risk by 26%, 36%, and 35%, respectively.

Consumption of soups, eggs, coffee and tea, red meat, fish, potatoes, cheese, fruits, desserts and sugars had no apparent effect on RCC risk, the researchers point out.

"To our knowledge, no other study investigated the role of cereals on RCC," the authors state. "As for other common cancers, the increased risk of RCC for elevated cereal intake may be due to the high glycemic index of these foods, and their possible involvement in insulin-like growth factors."

SOURCE:

• Int J Cancer 2006.