THE UNEXPECTED LINK BETWEEN DIET & LUNG CANCER

risk factor for lung cancer—but starches and sugars may also play a surprising role. New research published in the found that frequently consuming high-glycemic-index foods (think white breads, bagels, and starchy snacks like pretzels) was independently associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer, even among nonsmokers. “Among the ‘never smokers’ in our study, those who had diets with the highest glycemic index (GI) h ad a more than twofold increased lung-cancer risk than those whose diet had the lowest glycemic index,” says study author Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Diets with a high GI ranking can create higher levels of glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and other metabolic changes, explains Wu. And it’s not just the amount of food: “We were surprised that glycemic index, not glycemic load, was associated with lung-cancer risk,” she adds. “That suggests it’s the average quality, not quantity, of carbohydrate consumed that may affect lung-cancer risk.”