Category Archives: Uncategorized

Is Organic More Cancer-Protective? (And … Does it Matter?)

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A study by researchers at Stanford University which appeared in Monday’s issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine hit on one of the biggest hot-button issues in nutrition today: organic foods, and their merits. Much of the media coverage has centered on what this large study says about the relative benefits of organic vs. conventionally grown foods in human health.

But that’s not what this study is really about. In fact, only 17 of the 240 studies examined by the researchers involved humans at all (the rest examined the nutrient profiles and pesticide levels of various foods). And of those 17, only 3 involved human health outcomes (eczema, wheezing and atopy, or “hyperallergenic” reactions). And any conclusions about the nutrient profiles of various foods will always be hampered by the fact that, as this NPR piece points out, the profiles of any two tomatoes sitting in the same pile in your grocery’s produce aisle will vary widely, for a host of reasons, regardless of whether they’re organic or conventional.

So it’s not quite the slam-dunk “Organics Are Not Healthier For You!” study some in the media are portraying it to be. It’s simply a serious analysis of the available literature, and it should be welcomed.

After the jump, some key findings of Monday’s study — and a call for cooler heads. Continue reading →

Carbs and Pancreatic Cancer: Why “Null Findings” Matter

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Say you’re a researcher. You’ve spent months collecting and analyzing data, crunching numbers and composing tables, but it’s all been for naught. That hypothesis you set out to test (say, that a link exists between a specific food and a known indicator of cancer risk) didn’t pan out. In your investigation at least, you found no such link.

You have achieved what in scientific circles is called a “null finding.” And, in a very real sense, that’s not nothing.

Null findings don’t make headlines, and often don’t even get published. (The tendency of journal editors to publish results that seem “new” over those that find no association — or that simply accord with previously published results — is a source of publication bias, which over time can distort the general scientific opinion on a given subject.)

But there is an important difference between a null finding capable of closing the book on a given question — that says, essentially “There’s no there there, move along.” — and a null finding that says simply “We need more and better data before we can make a judgment.”

On those rare occasions when the media do pick up on a null finding, there is a tendency to mistake one kind for another. Let’s take a look at a recent null finding and see what it really has to say. Continue reading →

AICR Welcomes New “Cancer Prevention Facts and Figures” Report

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Last week the American Cancer Society (ACS) released their annual update of US cancer statistics specifically related to cancer prevention. That report, Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts & Figures, turns raw data from cancer registries and other sources into easy-to-understand statistics on cancer incidence and cancer mortality on a year-by-year basis.

This year, the report’s take-home message is the pressing need for collaboration among government, private corporations, non-profit organizations, health care providers and other groups in efforts to prevent cancer.  We at AICR welcome this call, which echoes the conclusions of our policy report. And we are pleased to see ACS citing the AICR/WCRF Expert Report so prominently, in the section titled “Overweight and Obesity, Physical Activity and Nutrition”:

Obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition are major risk factors for cancer, second only to tobacco use. One-third of the more than 500,000 cancer deaths in the US this year can be attributed to diet and physical inactivity habits, including overweight and obesity, while another one-third are caused by use of tobacco products.

Although genetic inheritance plays a role in the risk of some individuals developing cancer, non-inherited factors have a larger impact on cancer risk for the population as a whole. Avoiding the use of tobacco products and exposure to secondhand smoke, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active throughout life, and consuming a healthy diet can substantially reduce a person’s lifetime risk of developing or dying from cancer.

In an environment when the public is bombarded with health messages from every quarter — including those hawking products — any instance when different health experts speak in a single clear voice is noteworthy.  We at AICR welcome the new ACS report, because it helps make clear that when it comes to preventing cancer, there is already a consistent, evidence-based message that should rise above the noise:

Eat smart. Move more. Weigh less. And, of course, don’t smoke.