Processed Meats Linked to Increased Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

A large multiethnic study conducted at the Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i and the University of Southern California has found that heavy consumption of hot dogs, sausages and luncheon meats, as well as turkey hot dogs and turkey sausage, is linked to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Ute Nöthlings

“The results suggest that it is not the fat or cholesterol content of these foods but rather that chemical reactions that occur during meat preparation might be responsible for the association with pancreatic cancer,” says Ute Nöthlings, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i and the study’s lead investigator. “Such chemical reactions can produce carcinogens.”

For this study, researchers at both institutions examined the relationship of diet to pancreatic cancer among 190,545 men and women of African-American, Japanese-American, Caucasian, Latino and Native Hawaiian origin who were part of the multi-ethnic cohort study in Hawai‘i and Los Angeles. An average follow-up of seven years produced 482 cases of pancreatic cancer.

Researchers found that a heavy consumption of processed meats resulted in the highest risk for pancreatic cancer, after adjusting for age, smoking status, a history of diabetes and family history of pancreatic cancer. Individuals who ate an average of 40 grams (1-1/2 ounces) of processed meats per day had a 67 percent increase in risk over participants who didn’t eat as much from this food category. A diet high in pork and red meat also increased pancreatic cancer risk by about 50 percent, compared to those who ate less of these meats.

“This presents an important piece of evidence that a reduced intake of red meat and processed meat can possibly lower a person’s chances of getting the disease,” says Nöthlings.

“This study is the largest of its kind to demonstrate a link between high consumption of processed meats over long periods of time and pancreatic cancer,” she adds. “The sample size allowed us to obtain statistically significant risk-estimates that support this hypothesis.”

This article was reprinted from the Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i’s Summer/Fall 05 Innovations newsletter.