Salt taste preference, sodium intake and gastric cancer in China.

AIM

The risk factors mostly strongly associated with gastric cancer are gastric bacteria Helicobacter pylori and diet. By using a case-control study among residents in China, we examined the association between sodium intake, presence of H,pylori, and gastric cancer risk.

METHODS

A population-based case-control study including 235 cases and 410 controls were used. Potential risk factors of gastric cancer were interview for cases and controls by questionnaire, salt taste preference was measured for all subjects, and IgG antibodies to H,pylori was used for H.pylori infection. Risk measures were calculated using unconditional logistic regression.

RESULTS

H.pylori infection and smoking increased the risk of gastric cancer, with the OR(95%CI) of 1.91(1.32-2.79) and 1.47(1.05- 2.05), respectively. Dietary sodium intake independently increased the risk of gastric cancer. Participants with the highest sodium intake(>5g/day) had a high gastric cancer risk [OR(95%CI)= 3.78(1.74-5.44)]. Participants with the salt taste preference at 7.3g/L and ≥ 14.6g/L showed higher risk of gastric cancer [OR(95%) for 7.3g/L and ≥ 14.6g/L were 5.36(2.72-10.97) and 4.75(2.43-8.85), respectively]. A significantly interaction was found between salt taste preference and H.pylori infection (p=0.037). Salt taste preference was significantly correlated with sodium intake (Correlation coefficient=0.46, p< 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Salt taste preference test could be a simple way to evaluate an inherited characteristic of sodium intake, and our study confirms the gastric cancer is associated with sodium intake and H.pylori.