Researchers from Imperial’s School of Public Health have produced the most comprehensive assessment to date of the association between ultra-processed foods and the risk of developing cancers. Ultra-processed foods are food items which have been heavily processed during their production, such as fizzy drinks, mass-produced packaged breads, many ready meals and most breakfast cereals.
Ultra-processed foods are often
relatively cheap, convenient, and heavily marketed, often as healthy options.
But these foods are also generally higher in salt, fat, sugar, and contain
artificial additives. It is now well documented that they are linked with a
range of poor health outcomes including obesity, type 2 diabetes and
cardiovascular disease.
The first UK study of its kind used UK
Biobank records to collect information on the diets of 200,000 middle-aged
adult participants. Researchers monitored participants’ health over a 10-year
period, looking at the risk of developing any cancer overall as well as the
specific risk of developing 34 types of cancer. They also looked at the risk of
people dying from cancer.
The study found that higher consumption of
ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater risk of developing cancer
overall, and specifically with ovarian and brain cancers. It was also
associated with an increased risk of dying from cancer, most notably with
ovarian and breast cancers.
For every 10 per cent increase in
ultra-processed food in a person’s diet, there was an increased incidence of 2
per cent for cancer overall, and a 19 per cent increase for ovarian cancer
specifically.
Each 10 per cent increase in
ultra-processed food consumption was also associated with increased mortality
for cancer overall by 6 per cent, alongside a 16 per cent increase for breast
cancer and a 30 per cent increase for ovarian cancer.
These links remained after adjusting for
a range of socio-economic, behavioural and dietary factors, such as smoking
status, physical activity and body mass index (BMI).
The Imperial team carried out the study,
which is published in eClinicalMedicine, in collaboration with researchers from the International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC), University of São Paulo, and NOVA University Lisbon.
Previous research from the team reported
the levels of consumption of ultra-processed foods in the UK, which are the
highest in Europe for both adults and children. The team also found that higher
consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater risk of
developing obesity and type 2 diabetes in UK adults, and a greater weight gain
in UK children extending from childhood to young adulthood.
Dr Eszter Vamos, lead senior author for
the study, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, said: “This
study adds to the growing evidence that ultra-processed foods are likely to
negatively impact our health including our risk for cancer. Given the high
levels of consumption in UK adults and children, this has important
implications for future health outcomes.
“Although our study cannot prove
causation, other available evidence shows that reducing ultra-processed foods
in our diet could provide important health benefits. Further research is needed
to confirm these findings and understand the best public health strategies to
reduce the widespread presence and harms of ultra-processed foods in our diet.”
Dr Kiara Chang, first author for the
study, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, said: “The
average person in the UK consumes more than half of their daily energy intake
from ultra-processed foods. This is exceptionally high and concerning as
ultra-processed foods are produced with industrially derived ingredients and
often use food additives to adjust colour, flavour, consistency, texture, or
extend shelf life.
“Our bodies may not react the same way
to these ultra-processed ingredients and additives as they do to fresh and
nutritious minimally processed foods. However, ultra-processed foods are
everywhere and highly marketed with cheap price and attractive packaging to
promote consumption. This shows our food environment needs urgent reform to
protect the population from ultra-processed foods.”
The World Health Organisation and the
United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation has previously recommended
restricting ultra-processed foods as part of a healthy sustainable diet.
There are ongoing efforts to reduce
ultra-processed food consumption around the world, with countries such as
Brazil, France and Canada updating their national dietary guidelines with
recommendations to limit such foods. Brazil has also banned the marketing of
ultra-processed foods in schools. There are currently no similar measures to
tackle ultra-processed foods in the UK.
Dr Chang added: “We need clear front of
pack warning labels for ultra-processed foods to aid consumer choices, and our
sugar tax should be extended to cover ultra-processed fizzy drinks, fruit-based
and milk-based drinks, as well as other ultra-processed products.
“Lower income households are
particularly vulnerable to these cheap and unhealthy ultra-processed foods.
Minimally processed and freshly prepared meals should be subsidised to ensure
everyone has access to healthy, nutritious and affordable options.”
The researchers note that their study is observational, so does not show a causal link between ultra-processed foods and cancer due to the observational nature of the research. More work is needed in this area to establish a causal link.
Source: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/242892/ultra-processed-foods-linked-increased-risk-cancer/
Journal article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(23)00017-2/fulltext
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