Science

Toufic Kachaamy: The hidden cost of poor diet – a major contributor to GI cancer

Toufic Kachaamy/LinkedIn

Feb 5, 2025, 20:34

Toufic Kachaamy: The hidden cost of poor diet – a major contributor to GI cancer

Toufic Kachaamy, Chief of Medicine and Medical Director of Gastroenterology at City of Hope Phoenix, shared a post on LinkedIn about a paper by Yiting Li et al. published in Gastroenterology:

“The Hidden Cost of Poor Diet: A Major Contributor to GI Cancer

We often talk about the impact of diet on overall health, but how much does it truly contribute to gastrointestinal (GI) cancer? A new study provides a sobering answer: 21.5% of global GI cancer cases in 2018 were linked to suboptimal diets, a figure that has remained relatively stable since 1990. However, the absolute number of diet-related GI cancer cases has doubled over the past three decades.

Key dietary culprits include:

Excessive processed meat consumption (5.9% of cases)
Insufficient fruit intake (4.8%)
Insufficient whole grain intake (3.6%)

These findings highlight the urgent need for dietary interventions and prevention strategies – especially in regions with the highest burden, such as Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

As a physician working with cancer patients, I see firsthand the devastating impact of GI cancers. While treatment advances continue, prevention through better nutrition is an underutilized strategy. This study underscores that diet is not just about personal health; it’s a critical public health issue that requires policy-level action and education.

The takeaway? Small dietary changes, more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and less processed meatcould prevent thousands of cancer cases globally.

How can we do better in promoting and implementing these changes?”

“The Global Incident Gastrointestinal Cancers Attributable to Suboptimal Diets From 1990 to 2018”

Authors: Yiting Li, Xing Jia, Caiyu Li, Haoxin Sun, Shaofa Nie, Edward Giovannucci, Li Liu.

Toufic Kachaamy: The hidden cost of poor diet - a major contributor to GI cancer