by Eating more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) may be associated with a higher risk of developing cancers of the upper respiratory tract (including the mouth, throat and esophagus), according to a new study led by by researchers from the University of Bristol and the International Agency. for Research on Cancer (IARC).
The authors of this international study, which analyzed diet and lifestyle data on 450,111 adults who were followed for about 14 years, say obesity related to consumption of UPFs may not be the only factor to blame . The study is published today [22 Nov] in the European Journal of Nutrition.
Several studies have identified a link between UPF consumption and cancer, including a recent study that looked at the association between UPFs and 34 different cancers in Europe’s largest cohort study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer cohort and Nutrition (EPIC).
As more evidence emerges about the links between consuming UPFs and adverse health outcomes, researchers from Bristol Medical School and IARC wanted to investigate this further. Since many UPFs have an unhealthy nutritional profile, the team sought to determine whether the link between UPF consumption and head and neck cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma (cancer of the esophagus) in EPIC could be explained by an increase in body fat.
Results from the team’s analysis showed that eating 10% more UPFs is associated with a 23% higher risk of head and neck cancer and a 24% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma in EPIC. Increased body fat explained only a small portion of the statistical relationship between UPF consumption and the risk of these upper airway cancers.
Fernanda Morales-Berstein, a Wellcome Trust PhD student at the University of Bristol and lead author of the study, explained: “UPFs have been associated with overweight and excess body fat in several observational studies. This makes sense, since they are tasty, convenient and usually cheap, which leads to large portions and an excessive number of calories. However, it was interesting in our study that the association between UPF consumption and upper respiratory tract cancer did not appear to be significantly explained by body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio.”
The authors suggest that other mechanisms may explain the association. For example, additives including artificial emulsifiers and sweeteners previously associated with disease risk, and contaminants from food packaging and the manufacturing process, may explain the link between UPF consumption and cancer of the upper respiratory tract. involved in this study.
However, Fernanda Morales-Berstein and colleagues cautioned about their findings and pointed out that certain types of bias could affect the associations between UPF consumption and cancers of the upper respiratory tract found in the study. This would explain why they found evidence of an association between higher UPF consumption and an increased risk of accidental deaths, which is causally unlikely.
George Davey Smith, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Director of the MRC’s Integrated Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, and co-author of the paper, said: “UPFs are clearly associated with many adverse health outcomes, but which ones actually cause them? , or whether underlying factors such as general health-related behaviors and socio-economic position are responsible for the link, remains unclear, as is its association with accidental deaths.”
Inge Huybrechts, team leader of the exposure and Lifestyle interventions team at IARC, said: “Cohorts with long-term follow-up nutritional assessments, also taking into account contemporary consumption habits, are needed to replicate the results of this study, as was EPIC diet data. collected in the 1990s, when the consumption of UPFs was still relatively low. Therefore associations may be stronger in cohorts including recent follow-up dietary assessments.”
Further research is needed to identify other mechanisms, such as food additives and contaminants, that may explain the observed links.
However, based on the finding that body fat did not significantly explain the link between UPF consumption and the risk of cancer of the upper respiratory tract in this study, Fernanda Morales-Berstein suggested: “It is unlikely to focus on weight loss treatment alone, such as Semaglutide. eating UPFs can contribute significantly to the prevention of upper respiratory tract cancers.”
Dr Helen Croker, Assistant Director of Research and Policy at the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting a link between UPFs and cancer risk. The link between higher consumption of UPFs and increased risk of upper respiratory tract cancer supports our Cancer Prevention Recommendations to eat a healthy diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans.”
The study was funded by the Wellcome Trust; Cancer Research UK; International Fund for World Cancer Research; Institut National du Cancer; Vision 2020 Study ‘Dynamic longitudinal exposure factors in non-communicable cardiovascular and metabolic diseases’; University of Bristol Vice-Chancellor’s Fellowship; British Heart Foundation and the Medical Research Council.
Paper
‘Ultra-processed foods, adiposity and risk of head and neck cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study: an intervention analysis’ by F. Morales-Berstein et al. in the European Journal of Nutrition.
more information
Regarding ultra-processed foods
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrial formulas manufactured in a complex way using ingredients not normally found in kitchens (eg, maltodextrin, hydrogenated oils, modified starches) and cosmetic additives (eg, emulsifiers, flavorings, colors, artificial sweeteners ). Ready-to-eat products are usually cheap, tasty and widely available. As a result, they often replace more nutritious, unprocessed/minimally processed foods in the diet.
