EAT‐Lancet Diet Pattern, Genetic Predisposition, Inflammatory Biomarkers, and Risk of Lung Cancer Incidence and Mortality

Scope The association between a planetary and sustainable EAT‐Lancet diet and lung cancer remains inconclusive, with limited exploration of the role of genetic susceptibility and inflammation. Methods and results The study includes 175 214 cancer‐free participants in the UK Biobank. Fourteen food components are collected from a 24‐h dietary recall questionnaire. A polygenic risk score is constructed through capturing the overall risk variants for lung cancer. Sixteen inflammatory biomarkers are assayed in blood samples. Participants with the highest EAT‐Lancet diet scores (≥12) have a lower risk of lung cancer incidence (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51–0.80) and mortality (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.48–0.88), compared to those with the lowest EAT‐Lancet diet scores (≤8). Interestingly, there is a significantly protective trend against both lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma with higher EAT‐Lancet diet scores. Despite no significant interactions, a risk reduction trend for lung cancer is observed with increasing EAT‐Lancet diet scores and decreasing genetic risk. Ten inflammatory biomarkers partially mediate the association between the EAT‐Lancet diet and lung cancer risk. Conclusion The study depicts a lower risk of lung cancer conferred by the EAT‐Lancet diet associated with lower inflammation levels among individuals with diverse genetic predispositions.