Dominique Michaud, assistant professor of epidemiology at HSPH and colleagues found when they looked at men and women with two wide-ranging dietary patterns that there was no association between diet and the risk of pancreatic cancer.
The 125,000 participants who were enrolled in the Brigham and Women's Hospital-based Nurses Health Study (NHS) and the HSPH based Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) were sent detailed food frequency questionnaires sent to the participants every four years between 1984 (for NHS participants) and 1986 (for HPFS participants) and up to 2000, and two dietary patterns were identified.
The western diet, consisting of high consumption of red meat, processed meat, French fries, processed grains, sweets, desserts and sugared beverages and the prudent diet, consisting of high consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, legumes and whole grains. During the span of the study 366 cases of pancreatic cancer were documented (185 men and 181 women).
They found no strong association between the two dietary patterns and the risk of pancreatic cancer when looking at lifestyle factors even though those on the prudent diet had healthier lifestyle behaviours, such as not smoking, exercising more, taking multivitamins and drinking less alcohol, compared to those on the western diet.
Michaud concludes that even though they did not find any associations with the two major dietary patterns, individual dietary components are still likely to play a role in the risk of pancreatic cancer as previous studies have shown that a high glycemic load and dietary sugar are related to an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer among women. More research needs to be done to examine individual dietary factors. Prevention is a priority in such a highly fatal disease. Both smoking and obesity increase pancreatic cancer risk and should be considered for prevention."
The findings appear in the April 6, 2005 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
hsph.harvard/
Eating almonds as part of a heart-healthy diet may lower cholesterol as much as statin drugs, even among patients in a non-clinical setting. University of Toronto research provides more evidence that almonds are one of the most heart-healthy foods around. The study finds that a certain heart- healthy dietary approach including almonds is effective in lowering LDL, or "bad" cholesterol significantly even when participants consumed the almonds as part of their regular daily routine. The approach, known as the "Portfolio" eating plan because it includes a variety of heart-healthy foods, combines recognized heart-healthy foods such as oatmeal, beans, olive oil, soy products and a daily one-ounce handful of almonds.
New preliminary study findings suggest that nearly 30 percent of subjects lowered cholesterol levels by more than 20 percent in the non-clinical setting, a result consistent with an earlier dietary study that found a cholesterol reduction similar to statins. Researchers called almonds a "mini- Portfolio" because in and of themselves, they contain several components emphasized in the eating plan -- vegetable protein, fiber, plant sterols and other several heart-healthy nutrients.
Almonds slow absorption of carbohydrates in the body, which may help management of diabetes. In addition to lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, researchers at the University of Toronto are finding that eating almonds may reduce the impact carbohydrate- rich food has on blood sugar levels. Preliminary data highlight that eating almonds along with carbohydrate-rich foods creates a slower rise in blood sugar, which may increase satiety and help to keep insulin levels from fluctuating too dramatically. More research into the effects of almonds on diabetes management and blood sugar levels is planned.
almondsarein/