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Gastrointestinal cancer

Sugars, sucrose and colorectal cancer risk: the Fukuoka colorectal cancer study

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Pages 581-588 | Received 03 Mar 2013, Accepted 29 Jun 2013, Published online: 09 Apr 2014
 

Abstract

Objective. A diet high in sugars may promote colorectal carcinogenesis, but it remains uncertain whether high intake of sugars or sucrose confers increased risk of colorectal cancer. The authors investigated the associations of sugars and sucrose intake with colorectal cancer risk in a community-based case–control study in Japan. Methods. The study subjects comprised 816 incident cases of colorectal cancer and 815 community controls. Consumption frequencies and portion sizes of 148 food and beverage items were ascertained by a computer-assisted interview. The authors used the consumption of 29 food items to estimate sugars and sucrose intake. The odds ratios of colorectal cancer risk according to intake categories were obtained using a logistic regression model with adjustment for potential confounding variables. Results. Overall, intakes of sugars and sucrose were not related to colorectal cancer risk either in men or women. The association between sugars intake and colorectal cancer risk differed by smoking status and alcohol use in men, but not in women. In men, sugars intake tended to be associated with colorectal cancer risk inversely among never-smokers and positively among male ever-smokers (interaction p = 0.01). Sugars intake was associated with an increased risk among men with no alcohol consumption, but was unrelated to the risk among male alcohol drinkers (interaction p = 0.02). Body mass index did not modify the association with sugars intake in either men or women. Conclusion. Sugars intake was associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer among smokers and non-alcohol drinkers in men selectively.

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Scientific Support Programs for Cancer Research, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. The authors acknowledge support from Emeritus Professors Keizo Sugimachi, Seiyo Ikeda, Sumitaka Arima and Takayuki Shirakusa and from Drs. Motonori Saku, Yoichi Ikeda, Soichiro Maekawa, Kazuo Tanoue, Kinjiro Sumiyoshi and Shoichiro Saito in conducting the survey of cases. The following physicians kindly supervised the survey of controls at their clinics: Drs. Hideaki Baba, Tomonori Endo, Hiroshi Hara, Yoichiro Hirokata, Motohisa Ikeda, Masayoshi Ishibashi, Fumiaki Itoh, Yasuhiro Iwanaga, Hideki Kaku, Shoshi Kaku, Minoru Kanazawa, Akira Kobayashi, Ryunosuke Kumashiro, Shinichi Matsumoto, Soukei Mioka, Umeji Miyakoda, Osamu Nakagaki, Nobuyoshi Nogawa (deceased), Nobuyuki Ogami, Toyoaki Okabayashi, Hironao Okabe, Nishiki Saku, Masafumi Tanaka, Masahiro Ueda, Bunichi Ushio and Koheisho Yasunaga.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.