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Updated: Sep 16, 2025
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Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
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Ultra-Processed Diets and Endocrine Disruption, Explanation of Missing Link in Rising Cancer Incidence Among Young
Almir Fajkić1, Orhan Lepara2, Rijad Jahić3
1Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Cancers
|July 12, 2025
Summary
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) act as Trojan horses, contributing to early-onset cancer by disrupting hormones, causing inflammation, and altering the microbiome. Recognizing UPFs as silent disruptors is key for public health and cancer prevention in young people.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Endocrinology
- Microbiome Research
Background:
- Global rise in early-onset cancers correlates with increased ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption.
- UPFs are implicated as complex agents interfering with human physiological functions.
- The 'Trojan horse' model highlights the hidden health risks associated with UPFs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the scientific evidence linking UPFs to cancer risk in adolescents and young adults.
- To explain the mechanisms by which UPFs contribute to disease development using the Trojan horse model.
- To identify research gaps and propose future directions for assessing and mitigating UPF-related cancer risk.
Main Methods:
- Literature review synthesizing current evidence on UPFs and health risks.
- Application of the Trojan horse model to conceptualize UPF-induced pathologies.
- Analysis of UPF components like endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and their impact.
Main Results:
- UPFs deliver EDCs (e.g., bisphenols, phthalates) and other ingredients that cause chronic inflammation, microbiome imbalance, and epigenetic alterations.
- UPFs disrupt hormonal signals, impair immune function, and promote detrimental cellular changes linked to cancer.
- Adverse effects are exacerbated during vulnerable developmental periods, potentially initiating disease pathways years later.
Conclusions:
- UPFs act as silent disruptors through chronic metabolic, hormonal, and genetic dysregulation, rather than acute toxicity.
- There is a critical need for multi-omics and long-term epidemiological studies to understand UPF's role in cancer.
- Public health policies and cancer prevention strategies must recognize UPFs as a significant risk factor, especially for younger populations.
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