High dietary antioxidant intake might cut pancreatic cancer risk

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/bmj-hda072012.php

Public release date: 23-Jul-2012
Contact: Stephanie Burns
BMJ-British Medical Journal
High dietary antioxidant intake might cut pancreatic cancer risk
If link proves causal, 1 in 12 of these cancers might be prevented, say researchers

Increasing dietary intake of the antioxidant vitamins C, E, and selenium could help cut the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to two thirds, suggests research published online in the journal Gut.

If the association turns out to be causal, one in 12 of these cancers might be prevented, suggest the researchers, who are leading the Norfolk arm of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) study.

Cancer of the pancreas kills more than a quarter of a million people every year around the world. And 7500 people are diagnosed with the disease every year in the UK, where it is the six commonest cause of cancer death.

The disease has the worst prognosis of any cancer, with just 3% of people surviving beyond five years. Genes, smoking, and type 2 diabetes are all risk factors, but diet is also thought to have a role, and may explain why rates vary so much from country to country, say the authors.