Pancreatic cancer, animal protein and dietary fat in a population-based study, San Francisco Bay Area, California

When comparing highest versus lowest levels of intake in multivariable adjusted models, positive associations were observed for several beef/lamb and individual animal protein items, including beef/lamb as a main dish (OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.0–4.5), regular hamburger (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2–2.4), whole eggs (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.0–2.4), butter (OR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.6–3.5), and total dairy not including butter (OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.8–3.7). Some high-fat/processed-meat products (i.e., sausage, salami, bacon), but not all (i.e., beef, pork, or poultry hot dogs), also were positively associated with risk. An inverse association was noted for greater chicken/turkey consumption (OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5–1.0). The risk comparing the highest versus lowest quartiles for fats and cholesterol consumption were: total fat (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2–2.1); animal fat (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.4–2.5); saturated fat (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.4–2.6); monounsaturated fat (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0–1.8); and dietary cholesterol (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1–2.0, all p-trends ≤ 0.02).