Having a diet rich in fish, nuts and vegetables could reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by up to two thirds, a new study has claimed.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia found that people who ate large amounts of vitamins C and E and the mineral Selenium were 67 per cent less likely to develop the condition than people who consumed lower quantities.
If studies prove that the antioxidants were causing the added protection, the finding could prevent one in 12 cases of pancreatic cancer, The Telegraph quoted researchers as saying.
According to them, the disease is diagnosed in 7,500 people each year and has the worst prognosis of any cancer, with only three per cent of patients surviving for more than five years after diagnosis.
The study, published in the journal Gut used data on almost 24,000 men and women aged 40 to 74, taking into account all the food they ate during a week and how it was prepared.
Researchers found that 25 per cent of people who took in the most selenium — a mineral found in nuts, fish and cereals, had half the risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared with those whose intake was in the bottom 25 per cent.
Those who were in the top quartile for consumption of vitamins C, E and selenium together were at 67 per cent lower risk of the disease compared to the bottom quartile.
However, in the cases of vitamins C and E, the people consuming the highest amounts were taking in as much as 16 times the recommended daily allowance.
Vitamin C is found in fruit and vegetables, while vitamin E is in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, margarines and egg yolk.
“If a causal association is confirmed by reporting consistent findings from other epidemiological studies, then population based dietary recommendations may help to prevent pancreatic cancer,” the authors said.
