Meat intake does not increase gastric cancer risk

Meat eaters can rejoice in knowing that they are not at greater risk of developing total gastric cancer, according to a cohort study in Japan.

A team of investigators examined the association of meat consumption with gastric cancer risk among Japanese men (n=42,328) and women (n=48,176), aged 45‒74 years at recruitment, participating in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study.

Using a validated food-frequency questionnaire, the investigators collected dietary intake data from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 1999. They also estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

A total of 1,868 male and 833 female incident gastric cancer cases had been identified during a mean follow-up of 15 years. Consumption of total and subtypes of meat did not contribute to an increased risk of total gastric cancer.

On the other hand, higher intake of chicken resulted in a lower risk of distal gastric cancer in women (HR for quintile 5 vs 1, 0.75, 95 percent CI, 0.56‒0.99; p=0.027 for trend), with a similar but nonsignificant risk reduction among women with Helicobacter pylori (HR, 0.59, 95 percent CI, 0.29‒1.20; p=0.06 for trend) in subgroup analysis.

In an earlier study in the Netherlands, the findings showed the association of red and processed meat consumption with a higher risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma in men, but not with cancers of other oesophageal and gastric subtypes. [Ann Oncol 2012;23:2319-2326]