The sex discrepancy effects of fruit and vegetable intake on pancreatic cancer risk; a large Korean cancer screening cohort study

Background Although several risk factors have been identified for the development of pancreatic cancer, the effects of fruit and vegetables on the disease remains controversial. Methods Individuals without cancer at baseline, who underwent national health examinations during 2008, were enrolled and followed-up to 2017. Vegetable intake was measured by assessing the intake of daily vegetables (types). Fruit intake was also assessed on a weekly basis. We evaluated the risk of pancreatic cancer using adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results Of 3,605,959 individuals (44% men), pancreatic cancer occurred in 10,469 subjects (5,384 men) during the 9 year follow-up. In adjusted analyses, the daily intake of more than five vegetable types reduced pancreatic cancer compared to no vegetable intake (aHR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71–0.94). Using sex-specific analyses, vegetable intake markedly reduced pancreatic cancer in women (aHR = 0.84 for 1–2 vegetable types, 0.84 for 3–4 and 0.69 for ≥ 5), but no effects were observed in men. Sex-specific analyses revealed that fruit intake reduced pancreatic cancer in men (aHR = 0.87 for 3–4 servings/week, and 0.84 for ≥ 7), but no effects were observed in women. Conclusions High intakes of dietary vegetables and fruit reduce pancreatic cancer development in women and men, respectively.