Stomach cancer in Japan (was: Vit C caused decline in Stomach Cancer)
Quote:
T D Laing wrote...
>It still doesn't explain why gastric cancer is so common in
>other Western societies (notably Japan) who arguably eat a
>BETTER diet in terms of cancer prevention, than the US-style
>diet, with more fruits and vegetables and grains. That is why
>it is so dangerous to attempt to reduce a complex situation to a
>10 second sound bite.
First of all, here are some statistics on stomach cancer rates in
Japan.
The peak year was actually 1992; the numbers have dropped off since
then. In 1992 the number of reported cases was 66,840 for men and
35,467 for women. (In that year the Japanese population was 61
million men and 63.4 million women.) Someone with more time is
invited to compare the per-100,000 rates with other countries such
as the U.S.
On an age-distributed basis, the peak for both men and women is in
the 65-70 year range.
Importantly, gastric cancer in Japan is high in some regions and
low in others, which helps us nail down some probable causes. The
most famous disparity is in neighboring prefectures Akita and
Iwate, which happen to have important differences in their diets.
The Akitans have a diet high in salted and pickled foods, a
tradition that comes from their harsh winters and relatively low
economic status. Pickled fish innards are commonly eaten. Iwate, on
the other hand, has a milder diet with less reliance on soy sauce,
salting and pickling. Stomach cancer is much higher in Akita than
in Iwate.
A region with notably low cancer rates is Shizuoka, which has a
mild climate and is an important tea-growing region. The
inhabitants are known to drink green tea throughout the day.
You are correct that the situation is complex; I hope the above
information will be of a little use in getting closer to a true
picture.
The statistics above come from the following source:
The Research Group for Population-based Cancer Registration in
Japan:
Cancer Incidence in Japan. In Tominaga S, Oshima A (eds):
Cancer Mortality and Morbidity Statistics Japan and the World-1999
(Monograph on Cancer Research No. 47).
Japan Scientific Societies Press, Tokyo, pp.83-143, 1999
--
Doc Wonmug
http://www.***.com/
