News
High-carb diets may increase cancer risk
Published: Feb 03, 2004 - 11:01 PM
Diets filled with certain high-carbohydrate foods may increase the risk of colorectal cancer in women, according to a study published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Cakes, cookies and other quickly digested foods score high on the "glycemic index," a measure of the rate at which carbohydrates are processed into sugar.
Cakes, cookies and other quickly digested foods score high on the "glycemic index," a measure of the rate at which carbohydrates are processed into sugar.
A sudden surge in blood sugar prompts the body to produce a matching rush of insulin, which helps convert the sugar, or glucose, into energy. Insulin stimulates cells to divide and keeps them alive longer than normal. That could encourage the growth of tumors, the study says.
Brown rice and wheat breads, in contrast, contain carbs that are absorbed more slowly by the body.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston followed more than 38,000 women for an average of nearly eight years and identified 174 with colorectal cancer, according to the article. Women in the study with high dietary glycemic loads were more than twice as likely to develop colorectal cancer.
Some health experts say the study, although preliminary, is intriguing.
"You may pay for that sugar high in more ways than you realize," said Michael Thun, head of epidemiologic research for the American Cancer Society.
He noted that results of similar studies have been mixed, however, and that more research is needed.
Others note that measuring glycemic loads is complicated.
"It's difficult for the average person to make sense of this," said dietitian Melanie Polk, director of nutritional education for the American Institute for Cancer Research. "An easier guide is to base your diet on fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains
Brown rice and wheat breads, in contrast, contain carbs that are absorbed more slowly by the body.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston followed more than 38,000 women for an average of nearly eight years and identified 174 with colorectal cancer, according to the article. Women in the study with high dietary glycemic loads were more than twice as likely to develop colorectal cancer.
Some health experts say the study, although preliminary, is intriguing.
"You may pay for that sugar high in more ways than you realize," said Michael Thun, head of epidemiologic research for the American Cancer Society.
He noted that results of similar studies have been mixed, however, and that more research is needed.
Others note that measuring glycemic loads is complicated.
"It's difficult for the average person to make sense of this," said dietitian Melanie Polk, director of nutritional education for the American Institute for Cancer Research. "An easier guide is to base your diet on fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains
