I'll have the chicken, please

I'll have the chicken, please.

Two separate studies focusing on pancreatic cancer prevention have uncovered simple dietary modifications that can make a big difference in determining who is more likely to acquire the disease. Two simple changes involve eating less red meat and getting enough vitamin D.

In the first study, Swedish researchers studied the diets of more than 61,000 women for 17 years, looking for the possible effects of meat, fish, poultry, and egg consumption. During that timeframe, 172 women were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Their findings suggest that long-term consumption of red meat elevated the risk of acquiring the disease while eating poultry reduce that risk. No strong associations were found with the other foods that were examined.

In other research, scientists at Northwestern and Harvard universities examined data from two, large long-term health surveys of more than 46,000 men, ages 40 to 75, and more than 75,000 women, ages 38 to 65, and found that those getting the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin D (400 IUs a day) reduced their pancreatic cancer risk by 43 percent, but those getting more than the recommended daily amount saw no additional benefit. They also determined that those who had consumed less than 150 IUs a day decreased their risk by 22 percent. The survey was done using food frequency questionnaires. In all, 365 cases of pancreatic cancer were identified between the two studies.

In addition to supplements, good sources of vitamin D are liver, fatty fish, fortified dairy products, and exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D has also shown potential for preventing and treating prostate cancer.

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