Dietary glycemic load directly linked to colon cancer risk in women

Women who consume a diet with a high glycemic load are nearly three times more likely to develop colorectal cancer than their peers who consume a low glycemic load diet, new research suggests.

Numerous reports have linked various dietary factors to the development of colon cancer. However, the effect of glycemic load on this risk has been unclear, according to the report published in the February 4th issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.To investigate, Dr. Simin Liu, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues analyzed data from more than 38,000 women who participated in the Women’s Health Study. During an average follow-up period of 7.9 years, 174 women developed colorectal cancer.Colon cancer risk increased as dietary glycemic load rose (p for trend = 0.004), the researchers note. Compared with women in the lowest quintile of glycemic load, those in the highest quintile were 2.85-times more likely to develop colon cancer. Total carbohydrate and fructose intake were also directly linked to colon cancer risk. “A diet with a high glycemic load may increase the risk of colorectal cancer by affecting insulin and insulin-like growth factors or, as suggested by the cross-sectional association between dietary glycemic load and C-reactive protein, by exacerbating proinflammatory responses, either locally or systemically,” the researchers note. Clearly, further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms involved, they add. (Source: J Natl Cancer Inst 2004;96:229-233: Reuters Health: February 4, 2004: Oncolink)