THE QUESTION For people who have had colon cancer, might carbohydrate consumption affect whether the cancer comes back?
THIS STUDY analyzed data on 1,011 adults, most in their
early 60s, who had surgery and chemotherapy for Stage III colon cancer,
in which the cancer had spread to lymph nodes in the immediate area but
had not metastasized to distant parts of the body. In about a
seven-year span, the cancer recurred in 343 people; 262 of them died, as
did 43 others who had no recurrence of cancer. People who consumed the
most carbohydrate-rich foods were 80 percent more likely to have had a
recurrence of colon cancer or to have died than were those who consumed
the least of such foods. Among people who were overweight or obese, high
carbohydrate consumption more than doubled the risk for a cancer
recurrence or death.
WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People with colon cancer, often
called colorectal cancer. Each year, nearly 144,000 people in the United
States, most older than 50, develop colon cancer, which ranks second in
cancer deaths among cancers that affect both men and women.
CAVEATS Dietary data came from the participants’
responses on periodic questionnaires. The findings suggest an
association between colon cancer recurrence and eating
carbohydrate-laden foods, but it does not prove that such diets cause
the cancer to return.
FIND THIS STUDY Nov. 7 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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