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Dietary sugar/starches intake and Barrett’s esophagus: a pooled analysis

European Journal of Epidemiology volume 32, pages 1007–1017 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is the key precursor lesion of esophageal adenocarcinoma, a lethal cancer that has increased rapidly in westernized countries over the past four decades. Dietary sugar intake has also been increasing over time, and may be associated with these tumors by promoting hyperinsulinemia. The study goal was to examine multiple measures of sugar/starches intake in association with BE. This pooled analysis included 472 BE cases and 492 controls from two similarly conducted case–control studies in the United States. Dietary intake data, collected by study-specific food frequency questionnaires, were harmonized across studies by linking with the University of Minnesota Nutrient Database, and pooled based on study-specific quartiles. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for age, sex, race, total energy intake, study indicator, body mass index, frequency of gastro-esophageal reflux, and fruit/vegetable intake. In both studies, intake of sucrose (cases vs. controls, g/day: 36.07 vs. 33.51; 36.80 vs. 35.06, respectively) and added sugar (46.15 vs. 41.01; 44.18 vs. 40.68, respectively) were higher in cases than controls. BE risk was increased 79% and 71%, respectively, for associations comparing the fourth to the first quartile of intake of sucrose (ORQ4vs.Q1 = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.07–3.02, P trend = 0.01) and added sugar (ORQ4vs.Q1 = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.05–2.80, P trend = 0.15). Intake of sweetened desserts/beverages was associated with 71% increase in BE risk (ORQ4vs.Q1 = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.07–2.73, P trend = 0.04). Limiting dietary intake of foods and beverages that are high in added sugar, especially refined table sugar, may reduce the risk of developing BE.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (CA163060, CA72866, and DK63616).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, CB# 7435, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7435, USA

    Nan Li, Kathleen Michele McClain, Nicole Michelle Niehoff, Lawrence Stuart Engel, Nicholas James Shaheen & Marilie Denise Gammon

  2. Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA

    Jessica Leigh Petrick

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Susan Elizabeth Steck

  4. Division of Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Patrick Terrence Bradshaw

  5. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Nicholas James Shaheen

  6. Division of Research and San Francisco Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA

    Douglas Allen Corley

  7. Program in Epidemiology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Thomas Leonard Vaughan

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  1. Nan Li
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Correspondence to Nan Li.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Nicholas Shaheen received research grant from C2 Therapeutics, CSA Medical, and Medtronic. Other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Li, N., Petrick, J.L., Steck, S.E. et al. Dietary sugar/starches intake and Barrett’s esophagus: a pooled analysis. Eur J Epidemiol 32, 1007–1017 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-017-0301-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-017-0301-8

Keywords

  • Barrett’s esophagus
  • Added sugar
  • Sweetened desserts/beverages
  • Diet