Sugary Foods Linked to Pancreatic Cancer Risk

People with diets high in sweets and other foods that cause rapid blood sugar spikes may have a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those who eat less of those foods, a new study suggests.

In a study of nearly 1,000 Italian adults with and without pancreatic cancer, researchers found that those whose diets were high in so called "glycemic index" showed a greater risk of the cancer
than participants whose diets were relatively low glycemic index.

Glycemic index refers to how rapidly a food causes blood sugar to rise. High glycemic index foods, like white bread and potatoes, tend to spur a quick elevation in blood sugar, while low glycemic index foods, such as lentils, beans, yogurt and many high fiber grains, create a more gradual increase in blood sugar.

In a new study, researchers found no relationship between the total carbohydrates in participants' diets and their risk of pancreatic cancer. And when they focused on fruit intake, higher consumption was related to a lower risk of the disease.

In contrast, there was a relationship between increased pancreatic cancer risk and higher intakes of sugar, candy, honey and jam. This suggests that sugary, processed carbohydrates rather than carbs like fiber rich grains, grains, and vegetables may be particularly liked to pancreatic cancer, the researchers report in the Annals of Epidemiology.

Pancreatic cancer is a relatively uncommon but particularly deadly form of cancer, with only about 5 percent of patients surviving for five years. Early on, the disease causes no symptoms, or only vague problems like indigestion, so it is rarely caught before it has advanced.