Food groups and alcoholic beverages and the risk of stomach cancer: a case-control study in Italy

To investigate the role of a wide range of foods and beverages on the risk of stomach cancer, we analyzed data from a case-control study carried out in Italy between 1997 and 2007 on 230 subjects with incident histologically confirmed stomach cancer (143 men and 87 women, age range 22-80 yr) and 547 controls (286 men and 261 women, age range 22-80 yr) admitted to hospital for acute, non-neoplastic diseases. Odds ratios (OR) of stomach cancer and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, energy intake, and other selected variables. A direct association with stomach cancer risk was observed for cereals (OR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.01-4.24, for the highest compared to the lowest quintile of intake, P for trend = 0.03), soups (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.10-3.42, P for trend = 0.05), and potatoes (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.05-3.98, P for trend = 0.04). Conversely, inverse trends in risk were observed with vegetables (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.27-0.81, P for trend = 0.01) and fruit intake (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.30-0.93, P for trend = 0.08). The results of this study confirm a protective role of vegetables and fruit against stomach cancer and suggest a detrimental effect of (refined) cereals on this neoplasm.