title: Salty Food Preference and Intake and Risk of Gastric Cancer: The JACC Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High sodium intake is a potential risk factor of gastric cancer. However, limited information is available on the relationship between salty food preference or intake and risk of gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between these variables among the Japanese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1988 and 1990, 15,732 men and 24,997 women aged 40-79 years old with no history of cancer or cardiovascular disease completed a lifestyle questionnaire that included information about food intake. The subjects were enrolled in the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk Sponsored by Monbusho. After a median follow-up of 14.3 years, 787 incident gastric cancers were documented. We examined the associations between salty food preference and intake and gastric cancer incidence using the Cox proportional hazard model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The risk of gastric cancer among subjects with a strong preference for salty food was approximately 30% higher than among those who preferred normal-level salty food (hazard ratio [HR] 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.67). The risk of gastric cancer in subjects who consumed 3 and ≥ 4 bowls/day of miso soup was approximately 60% higher than in those who consumed less miso soup (HR 1.67; 95% CI, 1.16-2.39 and HR 1.64; 95% CI, 1.11-2.42, respectively). Sodium intake correlated positively and linearly with risk of gastric cancer (P for trend = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study showed that salty food preference, consumption of large quantities of miso soup, and high sodium intake were associated with increased risk of gastric cancer among Japanese people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Mitsumasa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Umesawa
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9241-7289
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iso
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamakoshi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D012982:Sodium, Dietary