Differences of Food Intake and Nutritional Status between the Areas with Low and High Standardized Mortality Ratio for Stomach Cancer in Shizuoka Prefecture

• Published in: Eiyōgaku zasshi Vol. 50; no. 3; pp. 133 - 144
• Main Authors: Nasu, Keiko, Oguni, Itaro, Kanaya, Setsuko, Ota, Yuichi, Kan, Tamio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japanese Society of Nutrition and Dietetics 1992
• Subjects: factor lowering risk of stomach cancer; green tea; Shizuoka prefecture; SMR for stomach cancer; survey of dietary life
• ISSN: 0021-5147; 1883-7921
• DOI: 10.5264/eiyogakuzashi.50.133

In order to clarify the differences in dietary habits between the inhabitants in the area with low standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for stomach cancer and those in the area with high SMR in Shizuoka Prefecture, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 407 males and 391 females aged 35-69 years who lived in the two areas in the autumn of 1982. The intake of each food group (1st group: milk and daily products, eggs; 2nd group: fishes and shellfishes, meats, legume; 3rd group: vegetables, potatoes, fruits; 4th group: cereals, sugar and sweeteners, oil and beverages), nutritional status, PFC energy ratios and intake frequencies of rice, miso soup, fruit, milk and green tea in the low SMR area were compared with those in the high SMR area. Other factors related to physical conditions (age, height, weight, intensity of labor, occupation, etc.) were also compared. The characteristic features of dietary habits in the low SMR area were as follows. 1) Inhabitants in the low SMR area for stomach cancer took foods of the 2nd and 3rd groups, particularly fruits and vegetables, more often than those in the high SMR area. 2) The frequency of miso soup intake was higher among those of the low SMR area than those of the high SMR area. Moreover, the former used a greater variety of ingredients for the miso soup than the latter. 3) In the inhabitants of the low SMR area, there was a positive correlation between the intake of green tea and the factors considered to lower the stomach cancer risks such as intakes of fruits and vegetables and miso soup. The above results suggest that the combined effects of the intake of green tea and that of the foods considered to lower the risk of stomach cancer possibly play a role in lowering SMR for stomach cancer.