Scientists are learning more about how bad eating habits may contribute to pancreatic cancer, a disease that will kill more than 35,000 Americans this year.

ABC News has recently reported data from the National Institutes of Health which suggest people who indulge heavily in meat and dairy fats are more likely more to develop the disease.

The NIH researchers analyzed food frequency questionnaires of more than 500,000 people enrolled in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. They found the rate of pancreatic cancer was 53 percent higher in men who consumed the highest amount of total fats, and 23 percent higher for women on high-fat diets.

The study coincides with new research on the link between diet and pancreatitis, a painful inflammatory condition that often leads to pancreatic cancer.

It has been long known that alcohol, in combination with fatty acids, can produce substances that cause an excessive increase in calcium ions in the pancreatic cell water.

Now scientists from the University of Liverpool and the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan identified channels that allow calcium to enter the fluid inside pancreas.

Those who are looking to improve their eating habits may consider the alkaline diet. It is rich in citrus fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts and legumes may boost bone health into old age.