You Eat More Bread, Pasta and Cereals at your Own Risk

Increasing starch intake may raise prostate cancer risk

Findings reported in the Annals of Oncology add to evidence supporting the role of diet in the development of prostate cancer, with high levels of starch increasing the likelihood of the disease.

For their study, E Bidoli (Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano, Italy) and colleagues recruited1294 men with histologically confirmed prostate cancer and 1451 patients without the malignancy from five areas of Italy between 1991 and 2002.

The participants were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire of 78 food groups and recipes eaten in the past 2 years, including bread, cereals, and first courses; second courses; side dishes; fruits; sweets, desserts, and soft drinks; milk, hot beverages, and sweeteners; and alcoholic drinks.

The men were also asked to report any foods not listed that they had eaten at least once a week.

Analysis revealed a direct correlation between starch intake and risk of prostate cancer, with men in the highest quintile of starch intake 1.4 times more likely to have the disease than those in the lowest quintile.

In contrast, an inverse association was detected between the risk of prostate cancer and consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and linolenic acid, with odds ratios of 0.7 and 0.8, respectively.

Importantly, the effects of starch and polyunsaturated fatty acid intake persisted in a multiple logistic regression model taking into consideration intake of proteins, sugars, starch, and saturated, monosaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as age, education, location, and family history of prostate cancer.

"The findings of this study support the hypothesis that, in the Italian population, intakes of some macronutrients are related to prostate cancer," Bidoli's team concludes.

"This underlies the potential importance of diet and consequently of possible dietary changes in the risk of this cancer."

Last updated 17 January 2005