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Cancers attributable to diet in Italy
Federica Turati1, Gianfranco Alicandro2,3, Giulia Collatuzzo4
1Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Department of Excellence 2023-2027, Branch of Medical Statistics, Biometry and Epidemiology "G.A. Maccacaro", University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
International Journal of Cancer
|October 24, 2024
Summary
Unhealthy diets contribute significantly to cancer cases and deaths in Italy. While considerable, the cancer burden from diet is lower than in other high-income nations, likely due to the Mediterranean diet.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Oncology
- Public Health
Background:
- Diet is a modifiable risk factor for cancer.
- Previous assessments of diet-related cancer burden have not focused specifically on Italy in 2020.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess cancer cases and deaths attributable to diet in Italy in 2020.
- To compare Italy's diet-related cancer burden with other high-income countries.
Main Methods:
- Utilized World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research Continuous Update Project findings for 'convincing' or 'probable' diet-cancer associations.
- Retrieved relative risks from meta-analyses and dietary intakes from a national survey (circa 2005).
- Calculated sex-specific population attributable fractions (PAFs) and estimated attributable cancer cases and deaths using national registries (2020) with a ~15-year lag period.
Main Results:
- Unhealthy diets accounted for 6.3% of cancer cases in men and 4.5% in women.
- Specific PAFs for colorectal cancer included processed meat (10.5% men, 7.0% women), red meat (3.3% men, 2.0% women), low dairy (4.8% men, 4.3% women), and low fiber (7.9% men, 9.0% women).
- Low intake of non-starchy vegetables and fruit contributed to 0.8%-16.5% of aerodigestive tract cancers in men and 0.6%-17.8% in women.
Conclusions:
- The cancer burden attributable to unfavorable dietary habits in Italy is substantial.
- This burden appears lower compared to other high-income countries, potentially reflecting the protective effects of a Mediterranean dietary pattern.
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