Ultra‐processed food consumption and the risk of pancreatic cancer in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial

• Published in: International journal of cancer Vol. 152; no. 5; pp. 835 - 844
• Main Authors: Zhong, Guo‐Chao, Zhu, Qian, Cai, Dong, Hu, Jie‐Jun, Dai, Xin, Gong, Jian‐Ping, Sun, Wei‐Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.03.2023; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Cancer; Cancer screening; Colorectal Neoplasms - diagnosis; Colorectal Neoplasms - epidemiology; Colorectal Neoplasms - etiology; Diet - adverse effects; Early Detection of Cancer; Fast Foods - adverse effects; Female; Food; Food consumption; Food processing; Food, Processed; Humans; Lung; Lung cancer; Male; Medical research; Medical screening; nutritional epidemiology; Ovarian cancer; Ovarian Neoplasms; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Pancreatic Neoplasms - epidemiology; Pancreatic Neoplasms - etiology; Processed foods; Prospective Studies; Prostate; Prostate cancer; ultra‐processed foods; pancreatic cancer; ultra-processed foods; nutritional epidemiology
• ISSN: 0020-7136; 1097-0215; 1097-0215
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34290

Whether ultra‐processed food consumption is associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer has not been determined. We performed a prospective study to fill this gap. A population‐based cohort of 98 265 American adults was identified from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Ultra‐processed foods were defined by the NOVA classification. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for pancreatic cancer incidence. Subgroup analysis was performed to identify the potential effect modifiers. During a mean follow‐up of 8.86 years, 387 pancreatic cancer cases occurred. High consumption of ultra‐processed foods was found to be associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer (fully adjusted HRquartile 4 vs 1:1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07‐2.07; Ptrend = .021) in a linear dose‐response manner (Pnonlinearity = .075). Subgroup analysis further found that the positive association of ultra‐processed food consumption with the risk of pancreatic cancer was more pronounced in subjects aged <65 years (HRquartile 4 vs 1:2.17; 95% CI: 1.14‐4.15) than in those aged ≥65 years (HRquartile 4 vs 1:1.32; 95% CI: 0.88‐1.94), though the interaction test failed to achieve the statistical significance (Pinteraction = .061). These findings suggest that reducing ultra‐processed food consumption may be beneficial in decreasing pancreatic cancer incidence. What's new? “Ultra‐processed” foods, industrially formulated products consisting of ingredients extracted from foods, but no intact foods, now make up as much as 58.5% of Americans' daily calorie intake. Think frozen meals, hot dogs and packaged snacks. Here, the authors investigate the relationship between ultra‐processed foods and pancreatic cancer in a cohort of 98 265 American adults. High consumption of ultra‐processed foods was associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer, and the association was more pronounced for those under age 65.