Dietary Acid Load and Risk of Gastric Cancer: A Case-Control Study in Iran Publisher



F Dehghani FARIMAH ; F Toorang FATEMEH ; B Sasanfar BAHAREH ; S Narmcheshm SABA ; M Hadji MARYAM ; K Zendehdel KAZEM ; A Esmaillzadeh AHMAD
Source: Journal of Nutrition and Food Security Published:2025

Abstract

Background: Dietary Acid Load (DAL) is the balance between acid-producing and base-producing food. Previous studies have assessed the association between DAL and the risk of several cancers. However, few studies have investigated the association between DAL and Gastric Cancer (GC) risk. The current study was carried out to evaluate the association between DAL and GC risk in Iran. Methods: The current case-control study was conducted on 184 patients newly diagnosed with GC and 276 healthy controls. A validated diet history questionnaire (DHQ) was applied to assess dietary intake. DAL was calculated by computing amounts of protein intake into potassium contents through net endogenous acid production (NEAP) method. Multi-adjusted logistic regression was used to define the association between DAL and GC risk. Results: The mean age of participants was 56.26 years. Intakes of energy, dietary fiber, zinc, selenium, grain, fruits, and vegetables were significantly lower, and protein intake was significantly higher in the case group compared to the control group. A direct association was observed between DAL and GC risk (OR=4.59; 95% CI:2.61-8.07; P-trend<0.001, for T2 versus T3). In the fully adjusted model, DAL was positively associated with the risk of GC (OR=3.55; 95% CI:1.89-6.99; P-trend<0.001). Conclusion: Higher DAL scores were directly associated with greater GC odds which supports the current recommendations for decreasing the risk of cancer incidence. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.