Serum metabolites related to ultra-processed food intake in association with mortality: A prospective cohort study in the UK biobank

作者：Kityo A, Lee SA · 发表于：Cancer epidemiology · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1016/j.canep.2026.103114 · 研究领域：Mediation analysis、Metabolites、Mortality、UK biobank、Ultra-processed food

INTRODUCTION: Ultra-processed food (UPF) intake is linked to an increased risk of death, but underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. We examined associations of a previously derived UPF metabolomic signature with all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths, and whether the signature potentially mediates these associations. METHODS: We used baseline data from 63,401 participants in the UK biobank cohort and examined the association of a metabolomic signature of UPF intake with mortality over a maximum of 15 years of follow-up, accruing 2936, 1553, and 420 all-cause, cancer, and CVD mortality events. The metabolomic signature was computed as a weighted sum of previously identified 17 UPF-related serum metabolites. Associations of the metabolomic signature with mortality outcomes were examined using confounder-adjusted flexible parametric survival models. The proportion of the association of UPF with mortality mediated by the metabolomic signature was also computed. RESULTS: A standard deviation increase in the metabolomic signature was associated with 1.17 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-1.21), 1.14 (1.08-1.20), and 1.15 (1.05-1.27)-times increased risk of all-cause, cancer, and CVD mortality, respectively. Comparing the highest vs. lowest quartiles, HR (95% CI) for all-cause, cancer, and CVD mortality were 1.46 (1.31-1.63), 1.40 (1.2-1.62), and 1.40 (1.05-1.85) respectively. The signature mediated 30%, 28%, and 21% of the association between U...