United Kingdom: A new study has found that having a greater amount of ultraprocessed food may increase the chances of developing cancers of the upper digestive tract, including mouth, throat, and esophageal cancer.
Researchers noted that people who consumed 10 percent more ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) than others in the study had a 23 percent higher risk of head and neck cancer and a 24 percent higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that grows in the glands that line the insides of organs.
“This study adds to a growing pool of evidence suggesting a link between UPFs and cancer risk,” Dr. Helen Croker, assistant director of research and policy at the World Cancer Research Fund International, which funded the study, shared in a statement.
The new study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, studied diet and lifestyle data, including questions on ultraprocessed food consumption, on 450,111 adults who were participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, or EPIC.
Being overweight or obese is a well-known risk factor for developing at least 13 types of cancer, including cancer of the esophagus, as per the analysis of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to experts, ultraprocessed foods are often calorie-dense and are considered to be a driver of excess weight.
“Much more research and data collection are needed to understand the link the new report found,” study coauthor Dr. Ingre Huybrechts, a nutritional epidemiologist in the Nutrition and Metabolism Branch at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, commented.
“The dietary data was collected in the 1990s, when the consumption of UPFs was still relatively low. As such, associations may potentially be stronger in cohorts, including recent dietary follow-up assessments,” Dr. Huybrechts further remarked.
MOST READ | Sam Altman to return as OpenAI CEO
