Eating Too Much May
Raise Colon Cancer Risk

In determining a person's risk of colon cancer, how much they eat may be more important than what they eat, US researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

As lead investigator Dr. Jessie Satia-Abouta said, "the results of the study suggest that high intakes of total energy--calories--and individual macronutrients--carbohydrates, protein, and fat--may increase risk for colon cancer."

However, "the risk associated with individual macronutrients appears to be largely due to the fact that they contribute to total (calorie) intake."

Satia-Abouta of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues came to these conclusions following a study investigating the high rate of colon cancer in blacks.

The study involved 933 white and 676 black subjects. Among the findings, a diet high in fiber reduced the risk of colon cancer to a much greater extent in blacks than in whites.

Other results differed depending on whether totally calorie intake was considered. For example, in both racial groups, high intake of individual energy sources was generally associated with a two- to threefold increase in colon cancer risk. However, these associations largely disappeared when the authors adjusted for total calorie intake.

The investigators conclude that total calorie intake "was consistently associated with colon cancer risk, but associations with individual macronutrients varied somewhat by race and by adjustment for (calorie) intake."

Thus, Satia-Abouta pointed out, "as is the case with many other chronic diseases, proper (calorie) balance appears to be important in reducing the risk for colon cancer."

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, November 15, 2003.

Reference Source 89

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