Diets with lower inflammatory potential were associated with a lower risk of bladder cancer, especially muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), found a study recently published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
“Promoting anti-inflammatory dietary patterns could contribute to cancer prevention strategies,” the study’s authors said.
Chronic inflammation has previously been linked to cancer development, and diet is one factor that may influence inflammation levels. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unsaturated fats are generally considered anti-inflammatory, while diets high in processed foods and red meat may increase inflammation.
To better understand the affect of an anti-inflammatory diet on bladder cancer, researchers followed 79,292 adults in Sweden for up to 22 years and found that participants with the most anti-inflammatory diets had a lower risk of developing the disease than those with the least anti-inflammatory diets.
The study used the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Index (AIDI), a scoring system based on 16 food groups that estimates the inflammatory potential of a person’s diet. Higher scores reflect more anti-inflammatory dietary patterns.
After long-term follow-up, participants in the highest AIDI group had a 26% lower risk of bladder cancer overall compared with those in the lowest group. The association was stronger for MIBC, with about a 65% lower risk.
Compared to non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer, cancer cells in MIBC are characterized by more inflammation. The authors suggested that this difference may help explain why the association observed in the study was stronger for muscle-invasive disease: the inflammation present in MIBC may mean this type of bladder cancer is more sensitive to inflammation from foods.
Read more about how personalized nutrition approaches could play a role in bladder cancer prevention and treatment
When researchers analyzed anti- and pro-inflammatory food components separately, they did not find consistent associations, suggesting that overall dietary patterns, rather than individual foods, may be linked to bladder cancer risk.
The study had several limitations. Dietary data were self-reported, which may introduce measurement errors, and the population consisted of Swedish adults, which may limit generalizability to other populations.
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