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A less healthy menu choice. Image (C) Tim Sandle
Consumption of higher quantities of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is associated with a higher risk of developing cancers of upper aerodigestive tract (including the mouth, throat and oesophagus), according to new research.
This is drawn from an international study that analysed diet and lifestyle data on 450,111 adults across a 14 year time period. Specifically, as University of Bristol scientists point out, it is the level of obesity associated with the consumption of UPFs that is the key., although not the only, factor to blame.
The analysis showed that eating 10 percent more UPFs is associated with a 23 percent higher risk of head and neck cancer and a 24 percent higher risk of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in the members of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.
The research was also part of the Horizon 2020 ‘Dynamic longitudinal exposome trajectories in cardiovascular and metabolic non-communicable diseases’ study.
Aside from body fat, other factors that are connected with cancer formation include additives including emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners (these have been previously associated with disease risk), plus contaminants from food packaging and the manufacturing process.
The importance of these factors is that focussing solely on weight loss treatment is unlikely to greatly contribute to the prevention of upper-aerodigestive tract cancers related to eating UPFs.
Nevertheless, further research is needed to assess these other mechanisms, such as food additives and contaminants, in terms of the types of cancers identified in the study.
A healthier menu choice. Image (C) Tim Sandle.
The data also reiterates the importance in a diet rich in wholegrains, vegetables, fruit, and beans.
Commenting on the research, George Davey Smith, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Director of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, and co-author on the paper, notes: “UPFs are clearly associated with many adverse health outcomes, yet whether they actually cause these, or whether underlying factors such as general health-related behaviours and socioeconomic position are responsible for the link, is still unclear, as the association with accidental deaths draws attention to.”
The research has been published in the European Journal of Nutrition, titled “Ultra-processed foods, adiposity and risk of head and neck cancer and oesophageal adenocarcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study: a mediation analysis.”
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