New study reinforces link between ultra-processed foods and cancer

Eating a certain amount of ultra-processed foods has been linked to a higher risk of developing cancers of the upper digestive tract, such as cancers of the mouth, throat and esophagus, according to a new study.

Published last Tuesday (21) in the magazine European Journal of Nutritionhe analyzed diet and lifestyle data, including questions about ultra-processed food consumption, from 450,111 adults participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, or EPIC.

One of the largest studies of its kind in Europe, EPIC recruited participants from 10 European countries and the United Kingdom.

According to the research, people who consumed 10% more ultra-processed foods than other people in the study had a 23% higher risk of head and neck cancer and a 24% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that grows in the glands that line the inside of organs.

“This study adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests a link between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and cancer risk,” said Dr. Helen Croker, assistant director for research and policy at the World Health Fund. Cancer Research International, which funded the research.

But much more research and data collection will be needed to understand the link found by the new report, said study co-author Dr. Ingre Huybrechts, a nutritional epidemiologist in the Department of Nutrition and Metabolism at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, who helped develop sponsor the study.

The dietary data was collected in the 1990s, “when consumption of UFPs was still relatively low,” Huybrechts said. “As such, associations may potentially be stronger across cohorts, including recent dietary follow-up assessments.”

Ultra-processed foods – such as sodas, snacks, nuggets, packaged soups, ice cream and more – contain ingredients “never or rarely used in kitchens, or classes of additives whose function is to make the final product palatable or more attractive,” according to the Food Organization and Agriculture of the United Nations.

The list of additives includes preservatives to resist mold and bacteria; emulsifiers to prevent separation of incompatible ingredients; artificial dyes and dyes; antifoaming, bulking, whitening, gelling and coating agents; and adding or altering sugar, salt, and fats designed to make foods more appealing.

In the United States, a 2019 survey estimated that around 71% of the food supply may be ultra-processed.

Body fat is a risk factor for cancer

Being overweight or obese is a well-known risk factor for developing at least 13 types of cancer, including esophageal cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ultra-processed foods are often high in calories and are considered a factor in excess weight, experts say.

After performing statistical analyzes of the results, however, researchers found that increased body fat accounted for only part of the statistical association between ultra-processed foods and upper digestive tract cancers over a 14-year period.

An increased waist-to-hip ratio explained just 5% of the 23% increased risk of head and neck cancer, according to the study. An increase in body mass index, or BMI, explained 13% of the 24% additional risk of esophageal cancer, while waist-to-hip ratio explained 15%.

“In other words, if UFPs contribute to cancer risk, they do so to a small extent by contributing to obesity, and to a much larger extent through other mechanisms,” said Dr. David Katz, an expert in preventive medicine. and lifestyle that was not involved in the study.

“What could they be? Diet-induced inflammation; microbiome disruption; adverse epigenetic effects; and many other possibilities come to mind,” Katz said. Katz founded the non-profit organization True Health Initiativea global coalition of experts dedicated to evidence-based lifestyle medicine.

It’s possible that ingredients such as emulsifiers, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and toxins found in food packaging may also play a role in the link between ultra-processed foods and cancer or other illnesses, the study authors said.

Unusual relationship with ultra-processed foods

The study also found a link between ultra-processed foods and accidental deaths, which was being used as a control for the study.

“The researchers used accidental death as a ‘negative control,’ that is, something that UPFs should not be associated with if only direct impacts were being counted,” Katz said in an email.

“UPFs were, however, associated with a higher rate of accidental death – suggesting that UPFs are a marker of adverse circumstances in general. Factors that may contribute to this association include poverty, discrimination, environmental degradation, and so on.”

So it’s not clear what’s behind this link, said study co-author Dr. George Davey Smith, professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

“UFPs are clearly associated with many adverse health outcomes, but it remains unclear whether they are actually causative or whether underlying factors such as general health-related behaviors and socioeconomic position are responsible for the link,” he said in a statement. .

Growing association

This is not the first study to find a link between ultra-processed foods and cancer. Research from August 2022 found that eating ultra-processed foods significantly increased the risk of colorectal cancer in men, as well as a higher risk of heart disease and early death in both men and women.

A study published in January found that every 10% increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a 2% increase in the development of any type of cancer – and a 19% increased risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Another recently published study, using data from EPIC, found that eating greater amounts of ultra-processed foods increased the risk of being diagnosed with multimorbidity, which consists of having multiple chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In this study, the consumption of more ultra-processed animal products and sugary drinks explained much of the association.

Another 2023 study found that consuming greater amounts of ultra-processed foods and drinks, especially if these items are artificially sweetened, may be linked to the development of depression in women. Eating 400 calories a day of ultra-processed foods as part of a 2,000-calorie diet increased the risk of dementia, according to a 2021 study.

See also: 80% of Brazilian children frequently consume ultra-processed foods

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