Abstract 4807: Soy and salty food intake and risk of stomach cancer in Seoul Male Cohort.
Authors: Shin Myung-Hee , Hwang Seon-Mi , Bae Jong-Myon , Lee Moo-Song , Kim Dong-Hyun , Li Zhong-Min , Ahn Yoon-Ok 
Published: August 2014

Stomach cancer is the most common cancer among men in Korea. High prevalence of H. pylori infection and salty food intake has been suspected to be the main contributors of the high incidence of stomach cancer in Korea. Many studies reported an inverse association between soy food and risk of stomach cancer, but some studies showed that fermented soy food increased the risk of stomach cancer probably due to the high concentration of salt in it. We aimed to evaluate the association between fermented and non-fermented soy, and other salty food and the risk of stomach cancer in a prospective cohort study in Korea. Seoul Male Cohort was established in 1993. Members were recruited from the male beneficiaries of the Korean Health Insurance Company, who were aged 40-59 and living in Seoul. A lifestyle questionnaire survey was conducted through mailing. Dietary intake was measured using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire with 88 food items. Cancer occurrence was identified through data linkage to the Korean Central Cancer Registry and Korean Death Records. A total of 14,512 members were followed up until December 31, 2008, and 362 stomach cancer cases were identified. Total calorie adjusted multivariable odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated using logistic regression. Soybean paste stew, a very popular fermented soy food in Korea, was positively associated with the risk of stomach cancer. Men who ate soybean paste stew 2∼3 cups per week had 1.45 times higher risk of stomach cancer than men who ate less than one cup per week (95% CI = 1.11-1.92). Non-fermented soy foods, including soybean, tofu, and soy drink, were not associated with the risk of stomach cancer. The aOR of stomach cancer for the highest intake of soybean compared to the lowest intake was 1.02 (95%CI = 0.77-1.36), for the highest intake of tofu was 1.05 (95%CI = 0.75-1.46), for the highest intake of soy drink was 1.11 (95%CI = 0.84-1.47). Other salty foods, including Kimchi stew (highest vs. lowest, aOR=1.47, 95%CI=1.05-2.06), and salt-fermented radish (highest vs. lowest, aOR=1.45, 95%CI=1.11-1.90) were positively associated with the risk of Stomach cancer. However, Kimchi itself, the most popular salt-fermented vegetable in Korea, was not associated with the risk of stomach cancer (highest vs. lowest, aOR=1.06, 95%CI=0.77-1.46). In conclusion, we found no evidence of inverse association between non-fermented soy food and risk of stomach cancer. When soy is fermented, its high concentration of salt may increase the risk of stomach cancer. Most of the other salty foods may increase the risk of stomach cancer.

Citation Format: Myung-Hee Shin, Seon-Mi Hwang, Jong-Myon Bae, Moo-Song Lee, Dong-Hyun Kim, Zhong-Min Li, Yoon-Ok Ahn. Soy and salty food intake and risk of stomach cancer in Seoul Male Cohort. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4807. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4807