The trend of dietary consumption and its correlation with global cancer burden: a quantitative and comprehensive analysis from 1990 to 2019

To estimate the impact of dietary consumption on cancer burden and formulate an effective solution. Dietary consumption, number of cancer deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and corresponding age-standardized rates were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019. The annual percentage change (APC) was used to quantify the temporal trends in cancer burden and dietary consumption. Age, sex, location, and socio-demographic index (SDI) were stratified to further analyze the discrepancy in cancer burden attributable to dietary intake. Five cancers (breast cancer, colon and rectal cancer, tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and stomach cancer) were documented to be associated with dietary consumption in the GBD database. The age-standardized death rate (ASDR) and age-standardized DALY rate in 2019 were 7.56 and 1168.77 per 100,000 population, respectively. For most cancers, the ASDR and age-standardized DALY rate displayed a decreasing tendency with a APC varied from -3.60 to -0.29 and from -3.64 to -0.03 from 1990 to 2019, respectively. The ASDR and age-standardized DALY rate were higher in males than in females (9.68 vs. 5.79 and 213.16 vs. 129.18, respectively). In addition, the diet-related cancer burden in higher SDI regions exceeded that in lower SDI regions. Dietary consumption has a considerable influence on cancer burden, among which colon and rectal cancer burden account for the largest proportion. Increasing the intake of whole grains, milk, fiber, calcium, vegetables, and fruits and reducing the consumption of processed meat and sodium are instrumental in lowering the disease burden of cancer. The quantitative analysis of dietary consumption would provide a more detailed reference for diet-related decision-makers and raise awareness on healthy dietary habits among diet management departments, food production enterprises, and the general public.