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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP

Refrigerator Ownership and the Decline of Gastric Cancer: A Global Overview

  • Yee Siew Lim1
  • Ya Wen Tan2
  • Eshan Heng3
  • Tee Hang Chia3
  • Melanie Spiekermann4
  • Andrew Hill4
  • Kean Ghee Lim5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Dr Gray’s Hospital, Pluscarden Rd, Elgin IV30 1SN, United Kingdom.
  2. 2Penang General Hospital, Jalan Residensi, 10450 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
  3. 3Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, 1345 Govan Rd, Glasgow G51 4TF, United Kingdom.
  4. 4Department of Surgery, South Auckland Clinical Campus, Middlemore Hospital, 10 Milton Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland 2024, New Zealand.
  5. 5IMU University, Clinical Campus, Jalan Rasah, Seremban 70300, Malaysia.
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Abstract

Objective:: Refrigeration of food has been shown to mitigate environmental and dietary risk factors important in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. Globally, the incidence of gastric cancer has decreased. This study aims to determine the relationship between refrigerator ownership and gastric cancer.

Methods:: Gastric cancer data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease study, and refrigerator ownership data were sourced from GlobalDataLab. Countries were excluded from the analysis if they lacked refrigerator ownership data for more than 10 years or had over 80% ownership at the start of data collection. The relationship between the two variables was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.

Result:: Countries were screened using the inclusion criteria, and 85 countries from five continents were included in the study. Seventy-three countries demonstrated a negative correlation between refrigerator ownership and gastric cancer among their male populations, and 55 countries showed comparable results among their female populations. Thirteen countries exhibited a positive correlation between the two variables.

Conclusion:: Increasing refrigerator ownership appears to be associated with decreasing gastric cancer rates. Further research is needed to identify the specific risk factors involved in gastric cancer pathogenesis in the 13 countries where this association was not observed.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{lim2026refrigerator,
  title = {{Refrigerator Ownership and the Decline of Gastric Cancer: A Global Overview}},
  author = {Yee Siew Lim and Ya Wen Tan and Eshan Heng and Tee Hang Chia and Melanie Spiekermann and Andrew Hill and Kean Ghee Lim},
  journal = {Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.31557/apjcp.2026.27.6.2143},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.31557/apjcp.2026.27.6.2143},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Refrigerator Ownership and the Decline of Gastric Cancer: A Global Overview
AU  - Yee Siew Lim
AU  - Ya Wen Tan
AU  - Eshan Heng
AU  - Tee Hang Chia
AU  - Melanie Spiekermann
AU  - Andrew Hill
AU  - Kean Ghee Lim
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/19
JO  - Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP
DO  - 10.31557/apjcp.2026.27.6.2143
UR  - https://doi.org/10.31557/apjcp.2026.27.6.2143
AB  - Objective:: Refrigeration of food has been shown to mitigate environmental and dietary risk factors important in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. Globally, the incidence of gastric cancer has decreased. This study aims to determine the relationship between refrigerator ownership and gastric cancer.  Methods:: Gastric cancer data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease study, and refrigerator ownership data were sourced from GlobalDataLab. Countries were excluded from the analysis if they lacked refrigerator ownership data for more than 10 years or had over 80% ownership at the start of data collection. The relationship between the two variables was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.  Result:: Countries were screened using the inclusion criteria, and 85 countries from five continents were included in the study. Seventy-three countries demonstrated a negative correlation between refrigerator ownership and gastric cancer among their male populations, and 55 countries showed comparable results among their female populations. Thirteen countries exhibited a positive correlation between the two variables.  Conclusion:: Increasing refrigerator ownership appears to be associated with decreasing gastric cancer rates. Further research is needed to identify the specific risk factors involved in gastric cancer pathogenesis in the 13 countries where this association was not observed.
SN  - 1513-7368
SN  - 2476-762X
ER  -