Whole grain products — determinants of intake and cancer risk
Rikke Egeberg, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark
The traditional Danish diet is rich in whole grain products like rye bread, whole grain bread and oats. Whole grains are important sources of a number of health related components and have been shown to be protective against cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and obesity. The protective effect of whole grains on risk of cancer is less clear. In Denmark, cancers of the breast, colorectum and prostate are among the most frequently diagnosed cancer types and for which the incidences are still increasing. At the same time, the whole grain consumption in Denmark has been constantly declining during the past decades. If whole grain products have a protective effect against cancer, there is additional ground for recommending the population to increase the consumption of whole grains.
Epidemiological data on diet and lifestyle from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study will be used in the project. First, the association between dietary, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors and intake of whole grain products will be evaluated. Second, an investigation of the association between whole grain consumption and risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer will be performed.