By: Jean Johnson for Reflux1Go ahead, according to the folks at Yale: Pop that top once in awhile and disregard the media flap last winter over whether soft drinks might contribute to rising rates of esophageal cancer in developed countries – a 350 percent increase since the mid-1970s.
| Take Action |
Hedge your bets against esophageal cancers by:
Keeping your weight down.
Eating a variety of vegetables and fruits through the seasons.
Eating more high fiber whole grains like rolled oats, brown rice, quinoa, and 100 percent whole wheat breads and bread products.
Steer clear of fats that are solid at room temperature. Go for oils instead: olive, canola, corn.
Give beans a chance. They are a great source of protein, full of fiber and without fat.
For example, try a healthy dinner of tostadas tonight: Warm corn tortillas in oil and spread with refried beans, finely chopped green onions and a grate of longhorn cheese. Run under the broiler until melted and serve with a chop of dark green lettuces and the best spicy salsa you can find at your grocer’s
Serious Facts
Rates of esophageal cancers have increased over threefold (350 percent) in developed countries since the mid-1970s.
Along with esophageal cancer or adenocarcinoma, gastric cardia carcinoma which also occurs near the esophagus, has risen significantly over the past 25 years.
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The Yale Study
“The theory that soft drinks could be causing this cancer was picked up by the media and widely disseminated,” said lead author of the Yale study Susan T. Mayne, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Yale School of Medicine and associate director of the Yale Cancer Center. “However there was no direct evidence to bear on this hypothesis until we initiated our analysis.”
After the National Cancer Institute noted what the Yale-New Haven Hospital newsletter termed a “dramatic rise” in rates of esophageal cancer, the institute began a large multi-centered study that included Yale along with two other major medical centers. Beginning in 2001, Mayne’s team at Yale interviewed more than 1,000 patients and almost 700 healthy people who served as the control group. Participants in the study resided in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Washington.
Findings showed no link between the number of sodas individuals drank and the rate of esophageal cancer. People who consumed the most soda were just as likely to be free of the dreaded cancer as those who consumed the least. (Cancers of the esophagus are a particularly lethal form of malignancy because symptoms often do not appear until later stages by which time the tumors are well-advanced.)
“What we can say is that we did not see any evidence that carbonated beverages are contributing in any way to the epidemic of this cancer,” said Mayne.
Yale Findings
Instead, Mayne’s team identified some common parameters that those with esophageal cancers evidenced. Most patients were male (83 percent) and white (99 percent).
While according to the American Cancer Society African Americans are 50 percent more likely to develop esophageal cancer than Caucasians, most esophageal cancers in African Americans are the squamous cell type. In contrast, adenocarcinomas are the most common form of esophageal cancer in Caucasians, and it is this type of cancer that has been rising at alarming rates.
Also, those with esophageal cancers tended to have diets high in cholesterol, animal protein, fat (particularly saturated fats) and starches. Conversely, eating more dietary fiber was associated with lowered incidence of both esophageal cancer and its counterpart gastric cardia carcinoma, which is rising at similarly alarming rates.
Not only did carbonated beverage consumption not appear to have a bearing, drinking diet soda was correlated with lower rates of cancers associated with the esophagus. That said, the Yale team speculated that this might be because people who drink diet soda also tend to watch their weight, be more active and eat more nutritiously.
“Our team analyzed the data as the first direct test of the hypothesis that soft drinks might have contributed to the increase in this cancer,” said Mayne. “We found that contrary to the hypothesis put forth by other researchers, carbonated soft drink consumption was inversely associated with esophageal adenocarcinoma risk, mainly attributable to diet soda, and that high intake did not increase risk of any esophageal or gastric cancer subtype in men or women.”
Mayne’s research team also noted that their study and other reports from past studies found that gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD is a “significant risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma.” Added to that, the team also said that tobacco and alcohol use along with obesity were common in patients with cancers of the esophagus.
American Cancer Society Lists Risk Factors for Esophageal Cancer
The American Cancer Society (ACS) offers the following detailed comment on risk factors for cancer of the esophagus. First, the disease is one of aging. Those under 40 have a less than 1 in 100,000 chance of developing problems while 75 percent of people diagnosed are between ages 55 and 85. Men, as well, have a three-fold higher rate of esophageal cancer.
More significantly, the ACS targets obesity or being overweight as “clearly risk factors.” The ACS adds that that rising rates of GERD or reflux (which are linked to the current overweight and obesity epidemic) and Barrett esophagus, a condition associated with long-term acid, also predispose people to esophageal cancers. Finally, the list of no-no’s for those who want to steer clear of this often lethal disease includes tobacco, alcohol, diets low in fruits and vegetables and very hot liquids.
