IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026
Session : Lifestyle Interventions for Cancer Prevention
Food processing and cancer-related mortality in a large-scale European cohort
AL NAHAS A. 1, GONZÁLEZ-GIL E. 1, BERDEN J. 3, FERRARI P. 1, DOSSUS L. 1, GUNTER M. 1,2, HUYBRECHTS I. 1
1 Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France; 2 Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; 3 Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Background and Objectives
Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has been associated with various cancer types and overall mortality; however, research on cancer mortality considering subtypes is scarce. This multi-centre study investigated associations between food intake by degree of processing, using the Nova classification, and risk of cancer mortality in Europe.
Methods
This study involved participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. We investigated mortality from the following cancer sites: head and neck cancer; glioma; oesophageal cancer; lung cancer; gastric cancer (cardia and non-cardia); thyroid cancer; hepatocellular carcinoma; bladder cancer; gallbladder cancer; pancreatic cancer; renal cancer; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; leukaemia; colorectal cancer; melanoma; and sex-specific cancers, including breast, cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers in women, and prostate cancer in men. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. We also performed substitution analyses.
Results
A total of 395,387 participants were included in the analysis. UPF consumption (in grams per day [g/d]) was positively associated with overall cancer mortality (HR per 1-SD: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.07) and with mortality from specific cancer subsites, including head and neck (HR per 1-SD: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.53), gastric cardia (HR per 1-SD: 1.42 ; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.96); hepatocellular carcinoma (HR per 1-SD: 1.23; 95% CI : 1.01, 1.49), rectal (HR per 1-SD: 1.19 ; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.37), thyroid cancer (HR per 1-SD: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.11), ovarian cancer (HR per 1-SD: 1.18; 95% CI 1.04, 1.33) in the fully adjusted model. Replacing processed and UPFs with unprocessed/minimally processed foods was inversely associated with mortality from head and neck, gastric cardia, rectal , and thyroid cancers.
Conclusions/Implications for practice or policy
In this pan-European analysis, higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) was associated with an increased risk of overall cancer mortality and mortality from specific cancer subsites, including head and neck, gastric cardia, rectal, thyroid, and ovarian cancers and hepatocellular carcinoma. Promoting the consumption of unprocessed/minimally processed foods while discouraging highly processed foods in dietary recommendations may be beneficial for public health.