DIETARY SUCROSE AND STARCH AFFECT DYSPLASTIC CHARACTERISTICS IN CARCINOGEN-INDUCED ABERRANT CRYPT FOCI IN RAT COLON

To study whether dietary carbohydrates affect dysplasia in aberrant cr ypt foci (ACF), rats treated with 1,2-dimethilhydrazine (DMH) were fed for three months with diets containing 46% sucrose or corn starch. Th e number of ACF/colon in the two dietary groups was similar (P = 0.58) , but ACF were smaller in the starch than in sucrose group (P < 0.05). ACF in the starch group also showed less severe goblet cell dysplasia , more sulphomucins and less sialomucins than in the sucrose group (P < 0.05), indicating that corn starch protects against colon carcinogen esis while sucrose in the diet is detrimental, promoting the dysplasia of preneoplastic lesions like ACF. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.