08/14/07

The prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) this week released a new article on diets high in meat, fat, and refined grain (white bread, enriched bread, white rice) and their association with colon cancer recurrence and death. What they found was that patients treated for colon cancer that had a diet high in meat, refined grains, fat and desserts had an increased risk of cancer recurrence and death compared with patients who had a diet high in fruits and vegetables, poultry and fish.

This study corroborates numerous previous studies that link diet and lifestyle factors with the risk of developing colon cancer. This study in particular looks not at developmental risk, but rather at recurrence risk. We already know that colon cancer patients that have surgery have improved disease-free survival when they receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Now this study tells us that these same patients can also have an improved disease-free survival with dietary modifications. This is only an "observational" study which basically means larger studies with prospective evaluation and long-term data is needed to support and/or prove this finding. However, the results bode well for colon cancer survivors!!!

The author's overall conclusion is that the date suggests that a diet characterized by higher intakes of red and processed meats, sweets and desserts, French fries and refined grains increases the risk of cancer recurrence and decreases survival. My overall conclusion is that I am glad that a study has finally come out that substantiates that which I have been practicing for years in my own office.