Healthy Eating Might Ward Off Pancreatic Cancer

The chances of suffering from pancreatic cancer are definitely lower when you follow a healthy diet.  A study of fifty-thousand citizens of the United States showed a decrease in the pancreatic cancer statistics of fifteen-percent.

Reporting in the August 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the report says that test subjects used the 2005 Federal guidelines. These guidelines suggested avoiding saturated and trans fats, as well as added sugar and alcohol.  Sodium intake is also restricted, as is cholesterol.  The test group that adhered to this diet ate a variety of standard nutritional food items.

“Maintaining a healthful diet has many potential health benefits,” said head researcher Hannah Arem, at the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

She also explained that those who kept up their healthy diets for the prescribed amount of time showed a 15% drop in pancreatic cancer diagnosis from those who were under no such dietary constraints.

Arem was quick to state that while the study gives every indication of being verifiable and accurate, they still plan on doing further testing and research, as the current data show merely a trend, and not a cure for pancreatic cancer and other associated diseases.

“The study was conducted in an observational cohort, meaning that we cannot draw conclusions about cause and effect,” was how she put it.

The study was done by questionnaire, and did not take into account other factors that might influence a person’s health, such as smoking, genetics, location, environment, work history, and vitamin intake or inherited diseases.  Arem said that other healthy behaviors, such as exercise and a positive mental attitude could possibly explain some of the remission statistics as well.