Italian pizza may reduce risk of digestive tract cancers

Regular consumption of Italian pizza appears to reduce the risk of digestive tract neoplasms, according to a report in the International Journal of Cancer, published online July 21.

“Pizza may be a non-specific indicator of the Italian diet,” lead author Dr. Silvano Gallus told Reuters Health, “but limited and inconclusive information is available on the potential influence of pizza, as a food item or as an indicator of any specific dietary pattern, on cancer risk.”Dr. Gallus and his associates analyzed data from case-control studies conducted in Italy between 1991 and 2000. Included were more than 3000 patients with incident, histologically confirmed cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colon or the rectum. The comparison group included nearly 5000 patients admitted to the same hospital network for treatment of acute, nonneoplastic illnesses or trauma.The subjects were interviewed regarding socio-demographic factors and lifestyle habits. Regular pizza eaters were defined as consuming at least one portion of pizza per week, while occasional eaters consumed 1 to 3 portions/month. The investigators calculated odds ratios for digestive tract cancer after adjusting for age, gender, education, alcohol and tobacco consumption, calorie intake, and body mass index.Odds ratios were lower than 1.0 for each type of cancer among individuals who reported at least one portion per month as part of their usual diet before diagnosis. Except for rectal cancer, there appeared to be a dose-response relationship in which the risks for cancer were lowest in the group that ate pizza the most often. In this group, the odds ratios ranged from 0.41 for cancer of the esophagus to 0.93 for cancer of the rectum.Despite these findings, “our suggestion is not simply ‘eat pizza and you will be protected against cancers’,” Dr. Gallus said, since “pizza may simply represent an indicator of a healthy Italian diet.” On the other hand, “Italian pizzas could be quite different from other kinds of pizza.” He and his colleagues suggest that pizza’s favorable influence may be related to the content of cooked tomatoes, which are rich in lycopene, and olive oil.(Source: Int J Cancer 2003;107:00-00: Reuters Health: Karla Gale: July 21, 2003: Oncolink)