Investigating the dietary links to pancreatic cancer: A case-control study on dairy, meat, and egg consumption

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that the intake of specific foods and nutrients is linked to the risk of pancreatic cancer, but the role of meat and dairy consumption in pancreatic carcinogenesis remains controversial. The main objective of this study is to investigate the association between the intake of dairy products and meats and the risk of pancreatic cancer. A case-control study was conducted between March 2015 and August 2018 at four main hospitals in Jordan; one of the hospitals was an oncology center. Participants in the study included 101 histologically confirmed pancreatic cancer patients, which were frequency-matched with 314 controls. The required information for this study was gathered through questionnaires based on face-to-face interviews. An Arabic food-frequency questionnaire that has been validated was used to collect data on the intake of different food items from dairy and meat groups. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to determine odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), considering potential confounders. The consumption of different levels and frequencies of yogurt, white cheese, processed cheese, red meats, and chicken was observed to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. The adjusted OR indicated that the risk of pancreatic cancer was positively related to a daily intake of yogurt (OR: 2.88 [95%CI: 1.40 - 5.91; p = 0.001]), cooked lamb meat (OR: 2.50 [95%CI: 1.30 - 4.84; p = 0.002]), and cooked veal meat (OR: 1.72 [95%CI: 1.11 - 3.77; p = 0.011]). Furthermore, daily and weekly consumption of white cheese, processed cheese, and cooked chicken may be associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. According to the study’s findings, the consumption of yogurt, white cheese, processed cheese, red meat, and chicken was linked to a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Keywords

Case-control study / Pancreatic cancer / Dairy products / Meats / Eggs

Funding

The authors wish to extend their gratitude to the Hashemite University for funding this research project. In addition, the authors appreciate the open-access funding offered by the Qatar National Library for this article.

Conflict of interest

The authors state that there are no conflicts of interest.

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