Meat and fish consumption and risk of lung cancer: A case–control study in Galicia, Spain

Diet is one of the elements that may influence the development of lung cancer. To ascertain the relationship between meat and fish consumption and the appearance of this disease, a case–control study was conducted on a population in Galicia (NW Spain), with a sample of 295 cases and 322 controls. All cases had histologic confirmation, and controls were individuals who were attending the hospital to undergo trivial surgery. All subjects were over 35, and sampling was based on sex frequency. Frequent consumption of meat seemed to have a protective effect, with an OR of 0.24 (95% CI 0.11–0.50), an effect that was maintained for pork consumption (OR 0.35; 95% CI 0.18–0.67). In contrast, consumption of fish showed an association with lung cancer, with an OR of 1.67 (95% CI 0.99–2.81), an association that extended to both white (OR 1.61 95% CI 0.93–2.79) and blue fish (OR 2.03 95% CI 1.23–3.34). Consumption of meat seems to reduce the risk of lung cancer, whereas consumption of fish could exert an influence by increasing the risk of this disease.