Your Meal Deal Might Be Raising Your Risk Of Lung Cancer, Study Warns
Now, another study has linked a higher intake of ultra-processed food to an increased risk of lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world. It's the third most common cancer in the UK, with around 49,000 people diagnosed each year.
Previous research has noted a 'significant association' between intake of UPF and the risk of several cancers, including colorectal, breast and pancreatic cancer.
Here's what you need to know about the latest study.
First up, what is ultra-processed food?
Ultra-processed food typically undergoes multiple processing steps and contains long lists of additives and preservatives. It's often ready-to-eat or heat.
Examples include ham, mass-produced bread, cereal, crisps and biscuits.
It's thought more than half of the typical British daily diet is made up of ultra-processed food. But not all of these foods are terrible news – yoghurt and high-fibre cereals, for instance, can form a part of a healthy diet.
There is however a clear link emerging between negative health outcomes and diets high in UPF.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) noted 'we still don't know whether it is because these foods are unhealthy because of how they are made, or if it's because a large majority of processed foods are high in calories, saturated fat, salt and sugar'.
UPF intake also increases the risk of weight gain, overweight and obesity, which is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK.
As high consumption has already been linked to a heightened risk of several health conditions, researchers wanted to know if this might also include lung cancer.
What did the new lung cancer study find?
Researchers used data from the US Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trials, involving 155,000 participants aged 55–74.
Cancer diagnoses were tracked until the end of 2009 and cancer deaths until the end of 2018.
Some 101,732 people (50,187 men and 51,545 women; average age 62) who completed a Food Frequency questionnaire on their dietary habits on entry to the trials were included in the study.
Foods were categorised as: unprocessed or minimally-processed; containing processed culinary ingredients; processed; and ultra-processed.
The three types of UPF that featured the most were lunch meat (11%), diet or caffeinated soft drinks (just over 7%) and decaffeinated soft drinks (nearly 7%).
Over a period of 12 years, 1,706 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed, including 1,473 (86%) cases of non-small cell lung cancer and 233 (14%) of small cell lung cancer.
After accounting for factors including smoking and overall diet quality, researchers discovered participants who ate a diet high in UPF were 41% more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than those who ate the least UPF.
Specifically, they were 37% more likely to be diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and 44% more likely to be diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. The findings were shared in the respiratory journal, Thorax.
The study has major limitations
The study is observational, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect.
The researchers also acknowledged they weren't able to factor in smoking intensity (worth noting given smoking is the main cause of lung cancer) and dietary information was collected once, so couldn't account for changes over time.
In response to the study, Professor Sam Hare, consultant chest radiologist at the Royal Free London NHS Trust, said: 'A quarter of lung cancer cases occur in non-smokers so we do need research exploring whether other factors are associated with lung cancer. We also know immunity is linked to cancer biology so it is a good idea to do research into factors like diet.'
Yet he said more work is needed to establish direct causation between UPFs and lung cancer.
'Crucially, whilst the study does make some adjustments for smoking status, the amount of smoking is not factored in, which is known to be directly related to lung cancer development,' he said.
'Dietary habits also change considerably over the course of such long term studies. As such, it is difficult to directly conclude that lung cancer is related to the level of UPF consumption alone given it was only declared at the start of the study.'
Professor Tom Sanders, an expert in nutrition at King's College London, also noted the smoking link, and added: 'Unhealthy diets often go hand in hand with smoking habit and low socioeconomic status. But there appears to be no plausible mechanism to explain why ultra-processed food should affect risk of lung cancer.'
Should you cut out UPFs?
The study's researchers suggested limiting consumption of ultra-processed food may help curb the global toll of lung cancer.
Supermarkets are home to thousands of UPF products, which can make it really hard to know where to turn during your weekly food shop. Often, these are the most affordable products, too.
The British Heart Foundation previously advised: 'Instead of trying to completely cut out these foods, think about the balance in your diet.
'Make sure that there are minimally processed foods in there too – eat fruit and vegetables with your meals and drink water instead of sugary drinks – and try to fit in time over the week for home cooking.'
Whole grains, fruit, and vegetables could help protect against cancer, so it's certainly worth trying to add more of these to your trolley if you can.
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