The French NutriNet-Santé study is an ongoing large-scale (170,000 participants) web-based cohort launched in the year 2009 (10-year follow-up) with the objective to investigate the relationships between nutrition and health outcomes.
Some of the major findings are described below:
Ultra-processed food (UPF)
Consumption of Ultra-processed food (UPF) was associated with:
- 12% increased risk of overall cancer
- 11% increased risk for breast cancer
Sugary Drinks
Finding suggests that a 100ml/day increase in consumption of sugary drinks was linked to:
- 18% increased risk of overall cancer
- 22% increased risk of breast cancer
For consumption of 100% fruit juices (no added sugar), a 100ml/day increase in consumption was also linked to:
- 12% increased risk of overall cancer
Saturated Fats (SFA)
Diets high in saturated fats (animal fat, skin of poultry, lard, butter, ghee, coconut oil, palm kernel oil etc) was associated with:
- 44% increased risk of overall cancer
- 98% increased risk in breast cancer
Monounsaturated fats (MUFA)
Intake of MUFA (avocado, olive, olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, peanut, nuts & seeds) was associated with:
- 59% decreased risk of digestive cancers
Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA)
Intake of PUFA (more specifically omega-6 fatty acids, from food sources such as walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, soybean, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil) was associated with:
- 44% decreased risk of digestive cancers
Eating Late
Results suggest that participants whose time of last eating episode exceed 9:30p.m. was linked to:
- 48% increased risk of breast cancer in women.
- Risk of prostate cancer was 2 times more likely in men.
Take Home Message:
- Avoid/limit intake of highly-processed food.
- Avoid/limit intake of sugary drinks.
- Choose healthy fats (MUFA and PUFA) to substitute unhealthy saturated fats (SFA).
- Try to have your dinner early and avoid late-night supper.
