[Diet and precancerous gastric lesions: preliminary results of a sampling study of homogeneous population].

: The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between dietary factors and precancerous gastric lesions in the population of a commune in the province of Latina which, on the basis of data published by RTP-LT, appears to present a striking incidence of so-called diet-dependent tumours. A series of tests was used to evaluate the antioxidising (protective) and pro-oxidising (encouraging) capacity of the following substances in terms of cancerogenesis: lutein, zeoxanthine, cryptoxanthine, lycopene, alpha and beta carotene, total carotenoids, tocopherol, retinol, ascorbic acid, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and ceruloplasmin. Two sample populations were enrolled in the study: sample A (random) composed of 400 persons (202 males and 198 females) aged between 20 and 80 who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and multiple biopsies of the gastric mucous; sample B (random), representative of the population, composed of 400 persons (200 males and 200 females) aged between 20 and 80, who underwent plasmatic assay of lipid and vitamin status. The results of this study appear to confirm the hypothesis of a correlation between diet and pre-cancerous lesions and suggest that the primary preventive stps take the form of: a) reduced intake of animal fat; b) increased consumption of fresh vegetables.