July 20, 2010 – Regularly eating sweets and foods with a high glycemic index (white bread, cake, refined cereals …) would be associated with an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. In comparison, the high consumption of fruits would rather have a protective effect.
A team of Italian and American researchers came to this conclusion1 by examining the drinking habits of nearly 1,000 Italian adults. A third of them had pancreatic cancer while the rest of the participants did not.
Participants who had a diet characterized by a high glycemic index had a higher risk of suffering from this form of cancer than those with a low index. And the higher this index, the greater the risk. Indeed, participants with the highest index were 78% more at risk than those with the lowest index. The researchers also took into account the glycemic load of foods, but found no association with pancreatic cancer.
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The glycemic index The glycemic index (GI) classifies foods according to the rise in blood glucose levels that occur after eating them. When the GI exceeds 50, the food is considered hyperglycemic. This is particularly the case of white rice and white bread which cause a brief but rapid supply of glucose in the blood. Foods with a low glycemic index, such as whole grain cereals, fruits and vegetables, cause blood glucose to rise more slowly. The glycemic load The glycemic load (GC) takes into account the “anti-glycemic” effect of dietary fiber in a food as well as the amount of carbohydrate and fiber in a serving. For example, melon, which has a very high GI (72), has a low GC (4) because of the fiber it contains. In comparison, tapioca, which contains little fiber, has a GC of 75; and white flour a GC of 48. For more information, see our fact sheet on the glycemic index and load. |
Researchers have also established a link between high consumption of sugar, candy, honey and jams and pancreatic cancer. Interestingly, by focusing their analyzes on fruits, they showed a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer in participants who ate the most.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, approximately 4,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed annually. This disease kills 3,900 each year across the country, a quarter of which are in Quebec.
Louis Gagné – PasseportSanté.net
1 Rossi M, Lipworth L et al. Dietary glycemic index and glycemic load and risk of pancreatic cancer: a case-control study, Annals of Epidemiology, 2010: 20 (6): 460-465.
