Abstract
The associations between red and processed meat consumption and gastric cancer risk have remained inconclusive. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze these associations. We searched PubMed and EMBASE to identify studies published from inception through October 2016. Subtype analyses of gastric cancer (gastric cardia adenocarcinoma and gastric non-cardiac adenocarcinoma) and dose-response analyses were performed. We finally selected 42 eligible studies. The summary relative risks of highest versus lowest consumption were positive for case-control studies with 1.67 (1.36-2.05) for red meat and 1.76 (1.51-2.05) for processed meat, but negative for cohort studies with 1.14 (0.97-1.34) for red meat and 1.23 (0.98-1.55) for processed meat. Subtype analyses of cohort studies suggested null results for gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (red meat, P = 0.79; processed meat, P = 0.89) and gastric non-cardiac adenocarcinoma (red meat, P = 0.12; processed meat, P = 0.12). In conclusion, the present analysis suggested null results between red and processed meat consumption and gastric cancer risk in cohort studies, although case-control studies yielded positive associations. Further well-designed prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.
Highlights
According to the Global Cancer Statistics 2012, gastric cancer (GC) presents an enormous public health problem as the third most common cause of cancer death in males and the fifth in females, with approximately 1 million new cases and 723,100 deaths each year worldwide [1]
Our findings provided detailed evidence that high consumption of red and processed meat increases GC risk in case-control studies, positive associations were not observed in cohort studies
The subtype analyses showed that red or processed meat consumption was negatively associated with the risk of gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) and gastric non-cardiac adenocarcinoma (GNCA) in cohort studies
Summary
According to the Global Cancer Statistics 2012, gastric cancer (GC) presents an enormous public health problem as the third most common cause of cancer death in males and the fifth in females, with approximately 1 million new cases and 723,100 deaths each year worldwide [1]. An increasing number of studies have focused on dietary factors [2,3,4,5]. Some studies have shown positive associations [6, 7] but others have provided null results [8, 9]. In consideration of the large burden of GC worldwide and the controversial evidence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis with the following objectives: (1) to provide an update based on more sufficient evidence and a quantitative synthesis of the eligible data on the associations between red and processed meat consumption and the risk of GC; and (2) to provide more detailed evidence according to subtype analyses; and (3) to evaluate the dose-response association between red and processed meat consumption and GC risk
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