Pickled vegetables in the aetiology of oesophageal cancer in Hong Kong Chinese.

Frequent consumers of pickled vegetables may have greater risk of developing oesophageal cancer.

This study investigated the association between high dietary ingestion of pickled vegetables and the prevalence of oesophageal cancer among Hong Kong Chinese. Researchers tracked the dietary and lifestyle patterns of 1,998 Hong Kong Chinese subjects. They found a significant elevation in oesophageal cancer risk among subjects who regularly consumed large amounts of pickled vegetables. The results of this study indicate that consistent consumption of pickled vegetables may be a major contributing factor to the development of oesophageal cancer.