Macronutrients, fatty acids and cholesterol intake and stomach cancer risk

Background: Several case-control studies have examined the association between intake of selected macronutrients and stomach cancer, with inconsistent results regarding total energy, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Materials and methods: We considered the relation between total energy, various macronutrients and fatty acids and gastric cancer using data from a case-control study conducted in northern Italy. Cases were 230 patients with incident, histologically confirmed stomach cancer. Controls were 547 frequency-matched patients, admitted to the same hospitals as cases for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic conditions. Logistic regression models conditioned on age and sex and adjusted for selected covariates were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of stomach cancer. Results: The multivariate ORs were 0.65 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.98] for the highest versus lowest tertile of vegetable fats and 0.66 (95% CI 0.44-0.97) for polyunsaturated fatty acids. No significant association was found for proteins, sugars, starch, total and animal fats, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study indicates that selected vegetable fats have a favorable effect on stomach cancer risk. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved.