Association between ultra-processed foods and risk of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Lian Y, Wang GP, Chen GQ, Chen HN, Zhang GY
Frontiers in nutrition · 26 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Systematic review (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Clinical events such as disease or death
- Intake measured by
- Not stated
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- University or hospital
- Shandong First Medical University
- Grants
- Shandong First Medical University (2019QL013)
Based on 1 listed funder(s) and full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2023-06-08 · Front Nutr · vol. 10 · p. 1175994
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media
- Cited
- 44 citations · more than 93% of similar papers · 2.8× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 54 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques · Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease
- Keywords
- Medicine, Meta-analysis, Colorectal cancer, Subgroup analysis, Internal medicine, Breast cancer, Oncology, Prostate cancer, Prospective cohort study, Cohort study, Cancer, Publication bias, Gynecology
5 authors
From CN
- Ying LianShandong Provincial QianFoShan Hospital; Shandong First Medical University
- Gangpu WangThe Fourth People's Hospital; Fourth People’s Hospital of Jinan
- Guoqiang ChenShandong Provincial QianFoShan Hospital; Shandong First Medical University
- Huanan ChenShandong Provincial QianFoShan Hospital; Shandong First Medical University
- Guangyong Zhang · correspondingShandong Provincial QianFoShan Hospital; Shandong First Medical University
Abstract
Background
Despite increasing evidence that has shown the association of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) with cancer risk, the results remain inconclusive. We, therefore, conducted the meta-analysis to clarify the association by including recently published studies.
Methods
A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to identify all relevant studies from inception to January 2023. To pool data, fixed-effects or random-effects models were used where appropriate. Subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias tests were performed.
Results
A total of 13 studies (4 cohort studies and 9 case-control studies) were included in the analysis, with a total of 625,738 participants. The highest UPFs consumption was associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.10-1.38), colon cancer (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.14-1.36), and breast cancer (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00-1.20) but not rectal cancer (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.97-1.43) and prostate cancer (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.93-1.12). In addition, the subgroup analyses showed that a positive association between UPFs consumption and colorectal cancer was observed among men (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.15-1.50), whereas no significant association was observed among women (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.94-1.29).
Conclusion
The present meta-analysis suggests that high UPFs consumption is associated with a significantly increased risk of certain site-specific cancers, especially the digestive tract and some hormone-related cancers. However, further rigorously designed prospective and experimental studies are needed to better understand causal pathways.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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