“`html
Diet’s Impact on Skin cancer Risk: Anti-Inflammatory Foods may Slow Biological Aging
Table of Contents
A diet rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods may substantially reduce the risk of skin cancer, according to new research published in Cancers in January 2025. The study, which analyzed data from over 16,600 participants, suggests a strong link between dietary patterns, biological aging, and the progress of this common form of cancer.
The Link Between Inflammation, Aging, and Cancer
Researchers have long understood that chronic inflammation and oxidative stress contribute to a variety of diseases and accelerate the aging process.These factors can disrupt the body’s natural balance, leading to organ impairment and tissue deterioration. Prior investigations have also established the crucial role of diet in regulating inflammation and maintaining oxidative balance. Building on this evidence,scientists hypothesized that dietary choices could directly influence skin cancer development.
Specifically, they proposed that diets promoting inflammation and oxidation might exacerbate the connection between accelerated biological aging and an increased risk of skin cancer. However,the precise nature of this relationship remained unclear.
A large-Scale Study Reveals Key insights
To investigate this connection, researchers examined data collected from 16,682 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 and 2018. Participants’ dietary habits were assessed using two key tools: the Dietary Inflammatory index (DII) and the Dietary Oxidation-Reduction Status (DOBS). Participants were categorized based on their dietary patterns: 8620 followed a proinflammatory and pro-oxidation diet, and were more likely to have a higher body mass index.They also exhibited a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and alcohol consumption. In contrast, 4263 participants followed an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich diet, while the remaining 8069 fell into the intermediate category.
The study found that PhenoAge was significantly associated with increased skin cancer risk (OR, 1.074; 95% CI, 1.063-1.085), indicating that individuals with greater biological ages were at higher risk. Both DII (OR,1.28; 95% CI, 1.20-1.36) and DOBS (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.94-0.96) were also significantly linked to biological age advancement.
crucially,adherence to a proinflammatory and pro-oxidation diet was associated with a significantly higher skin cancer risk – nearly 2.2 times higher – compared to an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich diet (OR, 2.19; 95% CI,1.29-3.72). Researchers determined that PhenoAge mediated approximately 28.06% of the relationship between dietary patterns and skin cancer risk.
Future Research Directions
The researchers acknowledged limitations inherent in the study’s observational and cross-sectional design, emphasizing that the findings should be considered hypothesis-generating rather than definitive proof of causation.They also noted that dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls, which may not fully capture long-term eating habits.
Despite these caveats,the team expressed confidence in their results and highlighted the need for further examination. “These results provide a foundation for developing hypotheses regarding specific characteristics and underlying mechanisms by which diet influences skin cancer,” the authors concluded.”Given that skin cancer can significantly impair both physical and psychological well-being, future research should prioritize strategies to systematically assess and address the multifactorial impacts, including the role of diet and biological aging.”
References
Hui S, Hou Z, Li D. Association between dietary inflammatory and oxidative balance scores and skin cancer risk: the mediating role of accelerated phenotypic aging. Cancers (Basel). 2025;18(1):111. doi:10.3390/cancers18010111
Liu J, Qi X, Wang X, et al. Evolving patterns of nutritional deficiencies burden in low- and middle-income countries: findings from the 2019 global burden of disease study. Nutrients. 2022;14(5):931. doi:10.3390/nu14050931
Grivennikov SI, Greten FR, Karin M. Immunity, inflammation, and cancer. Cell. 2010;140(6):88
