According to a study published online Nov. 22 in the European Journal of Nutrition.Higher ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is associated with a greater risk for head and neck cancer (HNC) and oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC).
Fernanda Morales-Berstein, from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues investigated the role of adiposity in the associations between UPF consumption and HNC and OAC. The analysis included 450,111 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.
The researchers found that during a mean follow-up of 14.13 years, a 10 percent g/day higher consumption of UPFs was associated with an increased risk for HNC (hazard ratio, 1.23) and OAC (hazard ratio, 1.24). Five percent of the association with HNC was mediated by waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), while body mass index mediated 13 percent and WHR mediated 15 percent of the association between the consumption of UPFs and OAC risk. There was a positive association seen between UPF consumption and accidental death in the negative control analysis.
“Focusing solely on weight loss treatment, such as semaglutide, is unlikely to greatly contribute to the prevention of upper-aerodigestive tract cancers related to eating UPFs,” Morales-Berstein said in a statement.
One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
| Abstract Purpose To investigate the role of adiposity in the associations between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and head and neck cancer (HNC) and oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Methods Our study included 450,111 EPIC participants. We used Cox regressions to investigate the associations between the consumption of UPFs and HNC and OAC risk. A mediation analysis was performed to assess the role of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in these associations. In sensitivity analyses, we investigated accidental death as a negative control outcome. Results During a mean follow-up of 14.13 ± 3.98 years, 910 and 215 participants developed HNC and OAC, respectively. A 10% g/d higher consumption of UPFs was associated with an increased risk of HNC (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–1.34) and OAC (HR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.05–1.47). WHR mediated 5% (95% CI 3–10%) of the association between the consumption of UPFs and HNC risk, while BMI and WHR, respectively, mediated 13% (95% CI 6–53%) and 15% (95% CI 8–72%) of the association between the consumption of UPFs and OAC risk. UPF consumption was positively associated with accidental death in the negative control analysis. Conclusions We reaffirmed that higher UPF consumption is associated with greater risk of HNC and OAC in EPIC. The proportion mediated via adiposity was small. Further research is required to investigate other mechanisms that may be at play (if there is indeed any causal effect of UPF consumption on these cancers). |
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