Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and long-term risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and primary liver cancer: A meta-analysis of preliminary evidence
Souza M, Lima LCV, Amaral MJM, Moura FS
Clinical nutrition ESPEN · 3 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (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
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2025-11-20 · Clin Nutr ESPEN · vol. 72 · p. 102819
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Cited
- 8 citations · more than 89% of similar papers · 2.3× the field average
- References
- 22 works
- Access
- Paywalled
- Research areas
- Nutritional Studies and Diet · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Food composition and properties
- Keywords
- Consumption (sociology), Disease, Liver disease, Fatty liver, Metabolic syndrome
- MeSH
- humans, liver neoplasms, fatty liver, diet, risk factors, female, male, fast foods, food, processed
4 authors
From BR
- Matheus Henrique Gonçalves de Souza · correspondingUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
- Luan C V LimaUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
- Marcio J M AmaralUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
- Felipe S. MouraUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Abstract
Background
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are a major component of the Western diet, and their consumption is increasing worldwide. Although there is compelling evidence for the effects of UPF on non-communicable diseases, data on their long-term effects on liver health are limited.
Methods
We systematically searched PubMed and Embase (from 2009 to September 5, 2025) for prospective cohort studies assessing the association between higher UPF consumption (defined by the NOVA 4 classification) and the risk of developing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and primary liver cancer outcomes. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model with the restricted maximum likelihood estimator and Knapp-Hartung adjustment to obtain pooled adjusted hazard ratios (HR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
We included 7 studies with a total of 1,272,317 participants. The highest UPF consumption was significantly associated with an increased long-term risk of MASLD (pooled HR 1.32, 95 % CI 1.11 to 1.58). Moreover, the available evidence suggests no statistically significant association of higher UPF consumption and the long-term risk of developing primary liver cancer (pooled HR 1.21, 95 % CI 0.52 to 2.79), including hepatocellular carcinoma (pooled HR 0.98, 95 % CI 0.66 to 1.45) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (HR 1.00, 95 % CI 0.50 to 2.03). Sensitivity analyses did not modify these results. When UPF consumption was analyzed as a continuous variable, we found three cohort studies demonstrating its significant association with increased risk of MASLD and three cohort studies reporting conflicting results for primary liver cancer.
Conclusions
These preliminary findings suggest that higher consumption of UPFs may contribute to an increased long-term risk of MASLD, highlighting the potential benefits of reducing UPF intake as part of preventive strategies.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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