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# Preserved foods linked to ovarian cancer
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/preserved_foods_linked_to_ovarian_cancer_0826130653/
- Published: 2013-08-26T07:52:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:18:39.000Z
- Description: Comparing 500 ovarian cancer patients with 500 controls in Guangzhou, researchers found women eating more than 13.5 grams of preserved vegetables and meats a day were 78% more likely to be diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer, a Gynecologic Oncology study reports.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Food, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Monday Aug 26, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study published in Gynecologic Oncology suggests that eating too much of any preserved foods may increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

The study led by Andy H. Lee from School of Public Health, Curtin University in Perth, WA, Australia and colleagues shows women who had higher intake of preserved foods were 78% more likely to develop ovarian cancer, compared with those who had lower intake.

The study was intended to investigate the association between consumption of preserved foods and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in southern Chinese women.

For the study, researchers compared 500 incident eipthelial ovarian cancer cases and 500 controls at an mean age of 59 years who visited a hospital from 2006 through 2008 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Dietary information was obtained using a validated and reliable food frequency questionnaire.

As a result, ovarian cancer patients consumed more preserved foods than controls, 18.2 grams per day versus 13.8 grams per day. Women who ate more than 13.5 grams of preserved vegetables and preserved meats per day were 78% more likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, compared with those who ate less than 13.5 grams per day. 

Similarly, women with high levels of intake were twice as likely as those with low levels of intake to develop serous and mucinous subtypes of epithelial ovarian tumors

The researchers concluded "Intake of preserved foods was positively associated with the incidence of epithelial ovarian cancer in southern Chinese women."

In the West, common preserved foods include luncheon meat, ham, sausage, smoked fish, and pickled vegetables. Preserved foods are high in nitrosamines and nitrate/nitrite, which are known to cause cancer.