Lung cancer is the most common cancer in Scotland
Academics have found a link between consuming high levels of ultra processed foods (UPFs) and lung cancer(Image: PA Wire)
It is a well known fact that what we put into our bodies affects our long-term health. Binging on fast food and slurping high-sugar drinks beyond moderation can lead to issues such as high cholesterol, obesity, and more.
Not being diet-conscious can contribute to our chances of being diagnosed with cancer, too. And academics have now found a link between consuming high levels of ultra processed foods (UPFs) and lung cancer in particular.
It comes after an international team of researchers tracked the health and food habits of more than 100,000 US adults, with an average age of 63. After an average of 12 years, the team identified 1,706 cases of lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in Scotland, with 5,476 cases diagnosed in 2021, accounting for 15.5 per cent of all cancers in the country, according to Public Health Scotland.
Food survey questionnaires revealed these people ate UPFs, including ice cream, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, bread, cakes, pastries, breakfast cereals, instant noodles and soups, margarine, confectionery, and soft drinks.
The research team, led by academics in China, found that average UPF consumption was nearly three servings a day, but ranged from 0.5 to six. The three types of food that featured the most were lunch meat and soft drinks.
An international team of researchers tracked the health and food habits of more than 100,000 US adults(Image: PA)
“These findings suggest the healthy benefits of limiting UPF,” the authors said.
“Limiting trends of UPF intake globally could contribute to reducing the burden of lung cancer.”
The academics shared some shocking statics. People who consumed the highest amounts of UPFs were 41 per cent more likely to develop lung cancer compared with those who consumed the least amount, they wrote.
The authors adjusted their findings based on whether or not people smoked, but they did not make adjustments for smoking intensity, which may have an impact. In any case, they stressed the data should be read with caution.
“A quarter of lung cancer cases occur in non-smokers so we do need research exploring whether other factors are associated with lung cancer,” Professor Sam Hare, consultant chest radiologist at Royal Free London NHS Trust, said.
Limiting consumption of these foods may help curb the global impact of the disease, the researchers said(Image: Steve Parsons/PA Wire)
“We also know immunity is linked to cancer biology so it is a good idea to do research into factors like diet.”
Professor Hare highlighted that people’s diets can also change a lot over the course of such long-term studies.
For this reason, 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.
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“That said, given the relative dearth of information on non-smoking related risk factors in lung cancer, it is important that the scientific community conducts more studies like this,” the expert concluded.
“We need genuine evidence-based advancement in the early diagnosis of lung cancer in non-smokers, but this study isn’t quite able to give us the answers yet.”