It's not just smoking - new research reveals that eating too many low-quality carbs can also increase the risk of lung cancer. The latest findings reveal that this was especially true among those who've never even picked up a cigarette.
Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Center found a strong link between eating foods with a high glycemic index, which describes how quickly blood sugar levels increase after a meal, and lung cancer risk.
Lung cancer, which has previously been linked to smoking, along with red meat, dairy and saturated fat consumption, is the second most common cancer in men and women. However, lung cancer is the number one killer in terms of cancer mortality, according to the American Cancer Society.
The latest study involved 1,905 lung cancer patients and 2,413 healthy individuals. Participants in the study were asked to fill out questionnaires about their dietary habits and health history. Researchers then compared the diets, glycemic index, glycemic load and lung cancer risk between the two groups.
Study analysis revealed that participants with the highest glycemic index were 49 percent more likely to develop lung cancer compared to those with the lowest glycemic index. Researchers found that this was especially true among participants who've never smoked, were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinomas and who've had less than 12 years of education.
"We observed a 49 percent increased risk of lung cancer among subjects with the highest daily GI compared to those with the lowest daily GI," senior author Xifeng Wu, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas, said in a university release. "The associations were more pronounced among subjects who were never smokers, diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma or had less than 12 years of education."
The study also revealed that the quality of carbohydrates played a large role in determining lung cancer risk. Researchers explained glycemic load, which measures carbohydrate quantity, did not significantly increase the risk of lung cancer.
"This suggests that it is the average quality, instead of quantity, of carbohydrates consumed that may modulate lung cancer risk," Wu explained.
"The results from this study suggest that, besides maintaining healthy lifestyles, such as avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol consumption and being physically active, reducing the consumption of foods and beverages with high glycemic index may serve as a means to lower the risk of lung cancer," Wu concluded.
The findings were published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
