Approved Research

Serum Metabolomic Profiles of Ultra-Processed Food Intake, and Associations with Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the UK Biobank

Lay summary

Research topic: Blood metabolic products associated with ultra-processed food consumption, and their relation with cancer risk and death in the UK Biobank.

Scientific rationale

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have gained popularity in the global food system with significant contribution to daily food intake. Research shows that consumption of UPF is linked to heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, mental disorders, obesity and early death. Some research also shows that UPF consumption may increase the risk of overall and specific cancers, but how UPF consumption increases the risk of cancer, is not yet known.

It has recently been observed that body metabolism is related to cancer development. State-of-the-art technological development enables the simultaneous measurement of large amounts of metabolic compounds present in blood, and these compounds reflect biological processes in the body. Thus, understanding the composition of metabolic compounds in blood circulation can enable researchers to understand the pathways that underlie the development of cancer. Moreover, environmental factors such as food intake are closely linked to various biological processes reflected through circulating metabolic compounds. Therefore, identifying these compounds can enable discovery of objective markers of food consumption.

Aims

Using data on a variety of circulating metabolic compounds, and on UPF consumption of participants in the UK biobank, we aim to:

1. identify blood metabolic compounds related to UPF consumption.
2. examine whether UPF-related metabolic compounds measured at baseline predict cancer occurrence at follow-up in UK biobank participants
3. assess whether UPF-related metabolic compounds measured at baseline predict death due to cancer at follow-up in UK biobank participants.

Project duration

This study is expected to commence in August 2023 until July 2024.

Public health impact

This research will

extend the scientific understanding of how consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to cancer development.

enable public health practitioners to identify individuals at risk of cancer based on their consumption of ultra-processed foods, and their metabolomic profiles.

strengthen evidence that consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to cancer development, to inform public health guidelines and policies targeted at regulation of ultra-processed food production.