• 12/14/2005
  • Hoboken, NJ
  • staff
  • newsinferno.com (www.newsinferno.com)

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota reveals that the consumption of high levels of dietary iron is linked to an increased risk of throat and stomach cancer.

The study, which was led by Dr. David R. Jacobs and published in the International Journal of Cancer, looked at data from the Iowa Women’s Health Study which surveyed 34,708 postmenopausal women between the ages of 55 and 69 about their food consumption.

The study was conducted over the course of 16 years. During that time, there were reports of 52 cases of stomach cancer and 23 cases of throat cancer. Researchers identified a positive correlation between iron intake and the risk of these upper digestive tract cancers. The opposite connection was observed between zinc intake and the risk of cancer.

Other potential risk factors such as body mass index, hormone replacement therapy, physical activity, multivitamin intake, and the intake of saturated fat, retinol, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate from food supplements were not considered in terms of their effect on the results.

According to the researchers; “Our current and previous results strongly suggest that both iron and zinc play important roles in carcinogenesis of digestive tract, probably through the mechanism of oxidative stress.”