Consumption of nuts and seeds and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Abstract

Four epidemiologic studies have assessed the association between nut intake and pancreatic cancer risk with contradictory results. The present study aims to investigate the relation between nut intake (including seeds) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazards ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for nut intake and PDAC risk. Information on intake of nuts was obtained from the EPIC country‐specific dietary questionnaires. After a mean follow‐up of 14 years, 476,160 participants were eligible for the present study and included 1,283 PDAC cases. No association was observed between consumption of nuts and PDAC risk (highest intake vs nonconsumers: HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.72–1.10; p‐trend = 0.70). Furthermore, no evidence for effect‐measure modification was observed when different subgroups were analyzed. Overall, in EPIC, the highest intake of nuts was not statistically significantly associated with PDAC risk.

<p>Lycopene Inhibits Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Promotes Apoptosis in Oral Cancer via PI3K/AKT/m-TOR Signal Pathway</p>

“…Some epidemiological studies showed that Mediterranean diet consisting of good amounts of vegetables, especially tomato, fruits, olive oil, grains, and fish, might contribute to lower rates of cancer. [31][32][33] LYC is a major component in tomato and is also abundantly found in various fruits and vegetables. 34 It acts as a potential chemoprotective agent against several types of cancers with minimum toxicity to normal cells.…”

Dietary Fat and Cancer—Which Is Good, Which Is Bad, and the Body of Evidence

“…An inverse association between nut consumption and cancer was found for colorectal cancer for the ≥3 servings per week group vs. none (for women: adjusted ORs: 0.30, 95% CI 0.15-0.60; for men: adjusted ORs: 0.28, 95% CI 0.17-0.47) [195]. Decreased rates associated with nut consumption, even if not significant, were reported in relation to pancreatic cancer (highest intake vs. non-consumers: HR: 0.89, 95% CI 0.72-1.10) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study with 476,160 participants and mean follow-up of 14 years [196]. These findings encourage the preference for plant sources of fat.…”

Systematic Review of the Integrative Medicine Recommendations for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

“…Subsequently, a study from the Netherlands of 120,852 men identified 583 cases of pancreatic cancer and came to the same conclusion [49]. Culminating in the largest epidemiological study to look specifically at the role of nuts in pancreatic cancer incidence, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, which identified 1283 patient with pancreatic ductal cancer in a population of over 400,000 people [50]. This final study was not able to conclusively identify a beneficial role of high nut consumption in the prevention of pancreatic cancer.…”