Red meat, fat: Increased recurrence of colon cancer!

According to research by US experts, the risk of recurrent bowel cancer or death increases 3.5 times in patients who follow ' Western diet ', including red meat, chips, sweet food. , refined fat and grain.

This study was conducted for 1,009 patients with stage 3 colon cancer and was treated with surgery and chemotherapy. All patients were followed up for an average of 5 years.

The group of Western-style patients had 3.3 times higher risk of cancer recurrence or death than the rest.(Photo: Typepad.com)

The team identified two important eating trends among these patients. The first trend is called 'Western diet', which includes many red meat, processed meat, chips, high-fat foods, sweet foods and refined nuts. The second trend is considered a 'careful diet', including fish, poultry, unrefined cereals, vegetables and fruits.

After 5 years of follow-up, 324 patients had cancer recurrence and 223 died. By comparison between the two groups, the experts found that the group according to the ' Western diet ' had a 3.5 times higher risk of cancer or death recurrence than the other group.

After eliminating the influencing factors such as gender, age, body weight, degree of physical activity and metastatic status of the cancer, the team found that the results remained unchanged.

Although it is unclear why Western eating increases the risk of recurring colon cancer, experts say it may be due to increased insulin levels and insulin-like growth stimulants . These are factors related to the formation and development of certain types of tumors.

Research leader, associate professor Jeffrey Meyerhardt, of Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (USA), said: 'It is not necessarily the increase in vegetables, fruits . that limits the risk of recurrence. Bowel cancer, which is the reduction of red meat, fat and sugar, has contributed to reducing that risk. '

However, he warned: 'That does not mean that all patients who do not follow the Western diet will not be at risk of colon cancer recurrence. This study only shows that a healthy diet is a factor in improving the effectiveness of cancer treatment. '

'Colon cancer is one of the diseases associated with eating a lot of red meat' (Photo: Medicine World)

Mary Young, vice president of the National Livestock Association (USA), commented: 'As a nutritionist, I do not support the Western-style diet described in the study. This, because it is not a healthy diet. Instead, I encourage eating lots of vegetables, fruits, low-fat milk, unrefined cereals and lean meat, such as lean beef.

Katherine Tucker, professor of nutritional epidemiology at Tufts University, in Boston (USA), commented that experts have done this research well. She said: 'Colon cancer is one of the diseases associated with eating a lot of red meat.

Along with rectal cancer, annual colon cancer kills about 50,000 people in the United States.

This study was published in the journal of the American Medical Association, August 15, 2007.

Quang Thinh

According to Science Daily, Reuters, VOA