Carbohydrates and fibre from fruits, vegetables protects against Lung Cancer: Study

It was a prospective study based on the PLCO trial, which recruited 113,096 eligible participants across the United States. Participants who have completed the completed baseline and diet history questionnaires were included. The researchers used self-report and medical record follow-up to identify the incidence of lung cancer. They used a multivariable logistic model, adjusted for confounders to estimate the association of dietary carbohydrates, fibre, whole grains, glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) for lung cancer. They used similar methods in analyzing the carbohydrates and fibre from different food sources. They further used multinomial logistic models for sensitivity analysis with lung cancer subtypes as outcomes.

Key findings of the study were:

• Upon evaluation, they observed that dietary carbohydrates and GL were inversely associated with lung cancer incidence in the PLCO population.
• Among various carbohydrates, they found that 30-gram daily consumption of dietary fibre was related to a lower risk of lung cancer (fourth vs first quartile OR: 0.62) compared with 8.8-gram.
• They also found that consuming whole grains 2.3 servings per day as opposed to 0.3 servings per day was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer (OR: 0.73).
• They observed a higher risk of lung cancer, among those who consume high-GI food (OR: 1.19) and refined carbohydrates from soft drinks (OR: 1.23).

The authors concluded, "Carbohydrates and fibre from fruits, vegetables and whole grains are associated with lower lung cancer risk. Refined carbohydrates from processed food, such as soft drinks, appear to increase risk."

For further information:

https://www.lungcancerjournal.info/article/S0169-5002(21)00105-7/fulltext?rss=yes