Interrelation between Western type cancers and non-Western type cancers as regards their risk variations in time and space. II. Nutrition and cancer risk.

The present study comparatively investigated the relation between the per capita consumption of various food factors and the risks of 6 cancers in 19 countries of the world. The age-adjusted death rates (AADRs) of Western type cancers (cancers of the breast, prostate, colon and lung) were positively correlated with the intakes of total calorie, meat-milk-eggs, animal protein and fats-oils, and were negatively correlated with the intake of cereals, potato etc. The AADRs of non-Western type cancers (cancers of the esophagus and stomach) showed correlations that were just the reverse of those of Western type cancers. Cancers of the lung and esophagus with low correlation coefficient (/r/less than or equal to 0.6) made a contrast with other cancers with reasonably high/r/values (0.75 or more). Cancers of the lung and esophagus were also distinguished from other cancers by an instability of male to female ratio of cancer risk, as assessed in terms of both AADR of 50 countries and age-adjusted cancer incidence rate of 83 countries of the world. It was concluded that a risk factor other than the 3 nutrient elements (carbohydrate, protein and fat) was making a contribution to both the reduction of dependency of 2 neoplasias on the intakes of 3 nutritional elements and the instability of male to female ratio in their cancer risks.