Plant Compound tied to lower stomach risk in Woman

(From Todayonline)

NEW YORK - Getting a moderate amount of a plant compound called flavonoids through food may be linked to a lower stomach cancer risk in women but not in men, according to a European study.

The researchers, writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women with the highest intake of flavonoids were half as likely to develop the disease as those who had the smallest intake.

"A flavonoid-rich diet is based on plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, nuts, legumes, and their derived products (tea, chocolate, wine)," lead author Raul Zamora-Ros told Reuters.

"This kind of diet combined with less consumption of red and processed meat can be a good way to reduce the risk of developing stomach cancer," added Dr Zamora-Ros, a researcher at the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Spain.

The findings do not prove that flavonoids alone can ward off the disease, because other factors such as a healthier lifestyle may play a role.

Past research has hinted that flavonoids may help protect against cancer, but few studies have focused on stomach cancer - the fourth most common and the second most deadly, according to Dr Zamora-Ros.

The researchers turned to ongoing research following almost 500,000 men and women in 10 European countries. All participants were between 35 and 70 years old and had been part of the study for about 11 years.

During that time, there were 683 cases of stomach cancer, of which 288 occurred in women.

The researchers analysed the participants' food diaries to see how many flavonoids they ate on average. They then checked to see if that amount was linked to the participant's cancer risk.

Green tea contains a large amount of flavonoids, with more than 12,511mg per 100g of leaves. Pinto beans contain about 769mg per 100g of beans.

Women who got more than 580mg of flavonoids a day had a 51-per-cent lower risk of developing stomach cancer than those who consumed no more than 200mg a day.

Dr Zamora-Ros said a person's exact risk depends on several factors, including whether they smoke and drink, how much red and processed meat they eat, and whether they are obese.

He added that the absence of a link between flavonoids and stomach cancer in men was a surprise and might be due to differences in how much they smoke or drink, or to hormonal differences.

Overall, he said, the study adds more evidence that "healthy lifestyles reduce the risk of chronic diseases". REUTERS

(Source: http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC121029-0000063/Plant-compound-tied-to-lower-stomach-cancer-risk-in-women)


Interestingly, this article also partially proved that this is true:
http://watthehealth.blogspot.sg/2008/11/under-weakly-alkaline-condition.html