Journal of Cancer Prevention · Oct 30, 2026

Diet and Cancer Risk: Global Food Systems Transition and Emerging Dietary Exposures

By Micek A, Godos J, Frias-Toral E et al.

Diet is an important modifiable determinant of cancer risk, but its effects are complex, site-specific, and increasingly shaped by rapid changes in global food systems. This narrative review summarizes current evidence linking major food groups with cancer risk and examines emerging dietary exposures to be considered in future research. Whole grains and dietary fiber show the most consistent protective associations, particularly for colorectal cancer, while fruits and vegetables appear to confer more modest and site-specific benefits. Dairy products show heterogeneous associations across cancer sites, whereas processed meat is consistently associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. Growing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has introduced additional concerns related to excess energy intake, adiposity, altered food matrices, sodium, additives, processing contaminants, and food-contact chemicals. Although prospective studies generally associate higher UPF consumption with increased overall and selected site-specific cancer risks, some limitations related to relative novelty of this field of research still constrain causal interpretation. Emerging products may reduce exposure to compounds associated with cancer risk (i.e., heme iron, nitrites, and meat-derived carcinogens) as well as increase consumption of health-promoting dietary components (i.e., fiber), but their cancer-related effects depend strongly on formulation, processing, sodium content, additives, and preparation methods. Future nutritional oncology should therefore move beyond broad food categories and processing classifications toward detailed assessment of food formulation, substitution patterns, additives, and food-system dynamics to identify modifiable exposures relevant to cancer prevention.

doi.org/10.15430/jcp.26.045Open accessPubMed 42996256Populations