The geographical differences in mortality from
cancer of seven sites of the digestive organs and consumption of foods in 46 of the prefectures, excluding Okinawa and their capital cities were statistically observed. The groups of foods statistically associated with
cancer death are: pork, cooking oil and shochu (low class distilled spirits) for
esophageal cancer; fresh fish, salted fish, vegetables and alcoholic beverages for
stomach cancer; alcoholic beverages, salted or dried fish, vegetables, bread, milk, butter,
margarine, ketchup, beer and fresh fish for
colonic cancer; fresh fish, salted or dried fish,
salt and popular grade sake for
rectal cancer; pork, popular grade sake and
green tea for
cancer of the biliary passages; salted or dried fish, vegetables, alcoholic beverages, oil and fresh fish for
pancreatic cancer; beef, poultry, eggs and
vinegar for
liver cancer. Further epidemiological analyses are required to find the
biological causal relationships.