Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Energy intake and dietary pattern in cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx

  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective: To explore the role of energy and macronutrients in cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx.

Methods: Case–control study: 754 individuals with first incident cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx and 1775 controls in hospital for acute, non-neoplastic diseases were interviewed in two Italian areas and in the Swiss Canton of Vaud between 1992 and 1997.

Results: Cases reported higher total energy intake, due to higher intake of alcohol energy. Non-alcohol energy intake was lower in cases than controls. The composition of diet also differed: proteins (OR for an addition of 100 kcal/day = 0.8) and monounsaturated fatty acids (OR = 0.8) were inversely associated, while saturated fatty acids (OR = 1.4) were directly associated with oral cancer risk. Vegetable intake, which was positively correlated with oil intake, was lower in cases than controls, but accounted only partly for the observed difference in fat intake pattern.

Conclusions: Alcohol energy may not be used efficiently after some threshold. Protein deficiency may enhance cancer risk in heavy drinkers. An opposite influence of different types of fat is emerging for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx as well as other sites of the upper aero-digestive tract.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Parkin DM, Whelan SL, Ferlay J, et al. (eds) (1997) Cancer Incidence in Five Continents, Vol. VII. IARC Sci Publ No. 143. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer.

    Google Scholar 

  2. La Vecchia C, Tavani A, Franceschi S, et al. (1997) Epidemiology and prevention of oral cancer. Eur J Cancer 33B 302-312.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Levi F, Pasche C, La Vecchia C, et al. (1998) Food groups and risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer. Int J Cancer 77: 705-709.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Franceschi S, Bidoli E, Barón AE, et al. (1991) Nutrition and cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx in North-East Italy. Int J Cancer 47: 20-25.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Franceschi S, Favero A, Conti E, et al. (1999) Food groups, oils and butter and cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx. Br J Cancer 80: 614-620.

    Google Scholar 

  6. World Cancer Research Fund in association with American Institute for Cancer Research (1997) Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. Washington: World Cancer Research Fund and American Istitute for Cancer Research.

    Google Scholar 

  7. McLaughlin JK, Gridley G, Block G, et al. (1988) Dietary factors in oral and pharyngeal cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 80: 1237-1243.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Marshall JR, Graham S, Haughey BP, et al. (1992) Smoking, alcohol, dentition and diet in the epidemiology of oral cancer. Eur J Cancer B Oral Oncol 28B: 9-15.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hellerstedt WL, Jeffery RW, Murray DM (1990) The association between alcohol intake and adiposity in the general population. Am J Epidemiol 132: 594-611.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Colditz GA, Giovannucci E, Rimm EB, et al. (1991) Alcohol intake in relation to diet and obesity in women and men. Am J Clin Nutr 54: 49-55.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Franceschi S, Barbone F, Negri E, et al. (1995) Reproducibility of an Italian food frequency questionnaire for cancer studies. Results for specific nutrients. Ann Epidemiol 5: 69-75.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Decarli A, Franceschi S, Ferraroni M, et al. (1996) Validation of food-frequency questionnaire to assess dietary intakes in cancer studies in Italy. Results for specific nutrients. Ann Epidemiol 6: 110-118.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Salvini S, Gnagnarella P, Parpinel MT, et al. (1996) The food composition database for an Italian food frequency questionnaire. J Food Composition Anal 9: 57-71.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Decarli A, Favero A, La Vecchia C, et al. (1997) Macronutrients, energy intake, and breast cancer risk: implications from different models. Epidemiology 8: 425-428.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Willett W. (1990) Nutritional Epidemiology. Monographs in epidemiology and biostatistics, Vol. 15. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Notani PN, Jayant K. (1987) Role of diet in upper aerodigestive tract cancers. Nutr Cancer 10: 103-113.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Gridley G, McLaughlin JK, Block G, Blot WJ, Gluch M, Fraumeni JF Jr (1992) Vitamin supplement use and reduced risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer. Am J Epidemiol 135: 1083-1092.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Zheng T, Boyle P, Willett WC, et al. (1993) A case-control study of oral cancer in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Associations with nutrient intakes, foods and food groups. Eur J Cancer B Oral Oncol 29B: 45-55.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Chyou P-H, Nomura AMY, Stemmermann GN (1995) Diet, alcohol, smoking and cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract: a prospective study among Hawaii Japanese men. Int J Cancer 60: 616-621.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Estève J, Riboli E, Péquignot G, et al. (1996) Diet and cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx: the IARC multi-center study in southwestern Europe. Cancer Causes Control 7: 240-252.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Launoy G, Milan C, Day NE, et al. (1998) Diet and squamous-cell cancer of the oesophagus: a French multicentre case-control study. Int J Cancer 76: 7-12.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Tzonou A, Lipworth L, Garidou A, et al. (1996) Diet and risk of esophageal cancer by histologic type in a low risk population. Int J Cancer 68: 300-304.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Franceschi S, La Vecchia C, Russo A, et al. (1998) Macronutrient intake and colorectal cancer in Italy. Int J Cancer 76: 321-324.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Kabat GC, Chang CJ, Wynder EL (1994) The role of tobacco, alcohol use, and body mass index in oral and pharyngeal cancer. Int J Epidemiol 23: 1137-1144.

    Google Scholar 

  25. D'Avanzo B, La Vecchia C, Talamini R, et al. (1996) Anthropometric measures and risk of cancers of the upper digestive and respiratory tract. Nutr Cancer 26: 219-227.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Pirola RC, Lieber CS (1972) The energy cost of the metabolism of drugs, including alcohol. Pharmacology 7: 185-196.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Jones BR, Barrett-Connor E, Criqui MH, et al. (1982) A community study of calorie and nutrient intake in drinkers and nondrinkers of alcohol. Am J Clin Nutr 35: 135-139.

    Google Scholar 

  28. McDonald JT, Margen S (1976) Wine versus ethanol in human nutrition. I. Nitrogen and calorie balance. Am J Clin Nutr 29: 1093-1103.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Crouse JR, Grundy SM (1984) Effects of alcohol on plasma lipoproteins and cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism in men. J Lipid Res 25: 486-496.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Jhangiani SS, Agarwal N, Holmes R, et al. (1986) Energy expenditure in chronic alcoholics with and without liver disease. Am J Clin Nutr 44: 323-329.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Barboriak JJ, Rooney CB, Leitschuh TH, et al. (1978) Alcohol and nutrient intake of elderly men. Am J Diet Assoc 72: 493-495.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Ferraroni M, Decarli A, Franceschi S, et al. (1996) Validity and reproducibility of alcohol consumption in Italy. Int J Epidemiol 25: 775-782.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Giovannucci E, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, et al. (1993) A comparison of prospective and retrospective assessments of diet in the study of breast cancer. Am J Epidemiol 137: 502-511.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Potischman N, Swanson CA, Coates RJ, et al. (1997) Dietary relationships with early onset (under age 45) breast cancer in a case-control study in the United States: influence of chemotherapy treatment. Cancer Causes Control 8: 713-721.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servizio di Epidemiologia, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Via Pedemontana Occ., 33081, Aviano, Italy

    Silvia Franceschi, Renato Talamini & Luigino Dal Maso

  2. Registre Vaudois des Tumeurs, Institut Universitaire de Médicine Sociale et Préventive, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Fabio Levi

  3. Servizio di Epidemiologia, Istituto Regina Elena, Rome, Italy

    Ettore Conti

  4. Laboratorio di Epidemiologia, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Milan

    Eva Negri & Carlo La Vecchia

  5. Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Peter Boyle

  6. Istituto di Statistica Medica e Biometria, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Adriano Decarli & Carlo La Vecchia

Authors
  1. Silvia Franceschi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fabio Levi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ettore Conti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Renato Talamini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Eva Negri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Luigino Dal Maso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Peter Boyle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Adriano Decarli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Carlo La Vecchia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Franceschi, S., Levi, F., Conti, E. et al. Energy intake and dietary pattern in cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx. Cancer Causes Control 10, 439–444 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008918104757

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008918104757

Search

Navigation