Quick study

PANCREATIC CANCER

Eating red meat and dairy appears to raise risk.

THE QUESTION: Smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity and diabetes can increase the risk for developing pancreatic cancer. Should a diet high in fat be added to that list?

THIS STUDY: Analyzed data on 525,473 people, 50 to 71 years old at the start of the study. In about a six-year period, 1,337 of them were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Men who consumed the most fat had a 53 percent higher rate of cancer than men who consumed the least. For women, high fat intake was linked to a 23 percent higher cancer rate than low consumption of fat. Those whose diets included the most saturated fat - especially fat from such animal products as red meat and dairy - had a 36 percent higher rate of pancreatic cancer than people whose diets included the least saturated fat.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People of middle age and older. Pancreatic cancer rarely strikes those younger than 45 and usually occurs in people 65 or older, blacks more often than whites, and men more than women. Because there are no screening tests for the disease and its early stages are often symptom-free, the cancer usually is not detected until it has spread, and it is generally fatal.

CAVEATS: Dietary information came from questionnaires completed by the participants.

FIND THIS STUDY: In the June 26 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

LEARN MORE: About pancreatic cancer at www.cancer.gov and www.cancer.org.

The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.