Diet and Cancer Risk: Global Food Systems Transition and Emerging Dietary Exposures.
4 affiliations
- 1Statistical Laboratory, Jagiellonian University Medical College Kraków Poland.
- 2Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania Catania Italy.
- 3Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Espíritu Santo Samborondón Ecuador.
- 4Research Unit of Epidemiology and Prevention, IRCCS Neurological Institute of Southern Italy NEUROMED Pozzilli Italy.
Abstract
Diet is an important modifiable determinant of cancer risk, but its effects are complex, site-specific, and increasingly shaped by rapid changes in global food systems. This narrative review summarizes current evidence linking major food groups with cancer risk and examines emerging dietary exposures to be considered in future research. Whole grains and dietary fiber show the most consistent protective associations, particularly for colorectal cancer, while fruits and vegetables appear to confer more modest and site-specific benefits. Dairy products show heterogeneous associations across cancer sites, whereas processed meat is consistently associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. Growing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has introduced additional concerns related to excess energy intake, adiposity, altered food matrices, sodium, additives, processing contaminants, and food-contact chemicals. Although prospective studies generally associate higher UPF consumption with increased overall and selected site-specific cancer risks, some limitations related to relative novelty of this field of research still constrain causal interpretation. Emerging products may reduce exposure to compounds associated with cancer risk (i.e., heme iron, nitrites, and meat-derived carcinogens) as well as increase consumption of health-promoting dietary components (i.e., fiber), but their cancer-related effects depend strongly on formulation, processing, sodium content, additives, and preparation methods. Future nutritional oncology should therefore move beyond broad food categories and processing classifications toward detailed assessment of food formulation, substitution patterns, additives, and food-system dynamics to identify modifiable exposures relevant to cancer prevention.
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BibTeX
@article{micek2026diet,
title = {{Diet and Cancer Risk: Global Food Systems Transition and Emerging Dietary Exposures.}},
author = {Agnieszka Micek and Justyna Godos and Evelyn Frias-Toral and Marialaura Bonaccio and Giuseppe Grosso},
journal = {Journal of cancer prevention},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.15430/jcp.26.045},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996256},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Diet and Cancer Risk: Global Food Systems Transition and Emerging Dietary Exposures.
AU - Agnieszka Micek
AU - Justyna Godos
AU - Evelyn Frias-Toral
AU - Marialaura Bonaccio
AU - Giuseppe Grosso
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Journal of cancer prevention
DO - 10.15430/jcp.26.045
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996256
AB - Diet is an important modifiable determinant of cancer risk, but its effects are complex, site-specific, and increasingly shaped by rapid changes in global food systems. This narrative review summarizes current evidence linking major food groups with cancer risk and examines emerging dietary exposures to be considered in future research. Whole grains and dietary fiber show the most consistent protective associations, particularly for colorectal cancer, while fruits and vegetables appear to confer more modest and site-specific benefits. Dairy products show heterogeneous associations across cancer sites, whereas processed meat is consistently associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. Growing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has introduced additional concerns related to excess energy intake, adiposity, altered food matrices, sodium, additives, processing contaminants, and food-contact chemicals. Although prospective studies generally associate higher UPF consumption with increased overall and selected site-specific cancer risks, some limitations related to relative novelty of this field of research still constrain causal interpretation. Emerging products may reduce exposure to compounds associated with cancer risk (i.e., heme iron, nitrites, and meat-derived carcinogens) as well as increase consumption of health-promoting dietary components (i.e., fiber), but their cancer-related effects depend strongly on formulation, processing, sodium content, additives, and preparation methods. Future nutritional oncology should therefore move beyond broad food categories and processing classifications toward detailed assessment of food formulation, substitution patterns, additives, and food-system dynamics to identify modifiable exposures relevant to cancer prevention.
SN - 2288-3649
SN - 2288-3657
ER -