14 DAY TRIAL // Although the small intestine make up to about three quarters of the intestines as a whole, cancer in this organ is very rare and low spread, but very dangerous. Because it occurs at such a low rate, scientists have been trying to identify its causes for a very long time. Now, it seems that saturated fats, which can be found in red and processed meat, as well as in fast food products, have been linked directly to a three-fold increased chance of small intestine cancer in people who eat such foods often than others.
The leader of the current research, Dr. Amanda J. Cross, at the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, said in a recent statement that "Identifying modifiable risk factors for cancer of the small intestine is important not only because the incidence of this cancer is on the rise, but it may enable us to further understand other gastrointestinal malignancies".
Dr. Cross and her colleagues noticed the insignificant levels of attention that this type of cancer got from the scientific community, and decided to conduct a study that would offer a long-term outlook on the issue. Because most cancers in the intestines manifest either in the large digestive tube, or in the colon, researches aimed at combating these forms of the disease have been prevalent over the years.
The team analyzed the medical records of some 500,000 US citizens, obtained from the National institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP Diet and Health Study. They added questionnaires, asking respondents to supply them with information about the food they ate and how much fat they consumed. The follow-up period for the study was as long as eight years for some patients, who were observed for signs of cancer during that time.
Some 140 people developed either adenocarcinomas, or gastric carcinoid tumors. This number is too small to statistically associate red and processed meat consumption with the risk of people developing small intestine cancer, but it’s more than enough to associate these conditions with a high intake of saturated fats found in fast food and meat.
According to Cross, people who eat large amounts of red meat, found in burgers and other fast food products, are three times more likely to develop carcinoid tumors, a very rare form of stomach cancer, than those who consume such meats in smaller quantities or occasionally.