¹Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan

Correspondence: L T Ngoan, E-mail: letngoan@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp

Received 12 November 2001; Revised 20 March 2002; Accepted 10 April 2002.

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between stomach cancer and the low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables and/or a high intake of pickled, preserved or salted foods and frequent use of cooking oil. During 139 390 person–year of follow-up of over 13 000 subjects, 116 died from stomach cancer. Using a Cox proportional hazards–regression analysis of relative risk (RR, 95% CI) controlling for age, sex, smoking and other dietary factors, a significant decline was found with a high consumption of green and yellow vegetables (RR=0.4, 95% CI=0.2–0.9). Reductions of between 40 and 50% were also observed with a high consumption of fresh foods (fruit, cuttle fish, tofu, and potatoes), but these associations were not statistically significant. The risk was significantly increased by the high consumption of processed meat (RR=2.7, 95% CI=1.0-7.4) and by the frequent use of cooking oil (RR=4.0, 95% CI=1.3-11.8). The high consumption of pickled food and traditional soups also increased risk, but not significantly. The findings suggest that a diet high in salt and low in vitamins may be associated with an increase in stomach cancer.