Association between zinc intake and risk of digestive tract cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#colorectal-neoplasms #diet #dietary-supplements #esophageal-neoplasms #humans

Association between zinc intake and risk of digestive tract cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Li et al., 2014 | Clin Nutr | Meta Analysis

Citation

Li Peiwei, Xu Jinming, ... Wu Yihua. Association between zinc intake and risk of digestive tract cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr. 2014-Jun;33(3):415-20. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2013.10.001

Abstract

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Association between zinc intake and digestive tract cancers risk has been reported in several epidemiological studies, while the results were controversial. The aim of our study was to get a systemic review of this issue. METHODS: PUBMED and EMBASE were searched up to April 2013, supplemented with manual-screening for relevant articles. Two independent reviewers independently extracted data from eligible studies, risk ratio (RR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs for the highest versus lowest categories of zinc intake was adopted. Either a fixed- or a random-effects model was adopted to estimate overall odds ratios. Besides, dose-response, subgroup, and publication bias analyses were applied. RESULTS: Nineteen studies with approximately 400,000 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled relative risk (RR) of overall digestive tract cancers for the highest versus lowest categories of zinc intake was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.70-0.96; p = 0.013). Comparing the highest with lowest categories, higher zinc intake was significantly associated with reduced colorectal cancer risk (pooled RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.70-0.92; p = 0.002), while zinc intake was not statistically associated with gastric cancer risk (pooled RR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.64-1.29; p = 0.581) or esophageal cancer risk (pooled RR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.44-1.17; p = 0.187). However, subgroup analyses showed that zinc intake was significantly associated with esophageal cancer risk and gastric cancer risk in Asia, but not in America and Europe. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary zinc intake was inversely associated with digestive tract cancers, especially colorectal cancer risk in this study.

Key Findings

Nineteen studies with approximately 400,000 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled relative risk (RR) of overall digestive tract cancers for the highest versus lowest categories of zinc intake was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.70-0.96; p = 0.013). Comparing the highest with lowest categories, higher zinc intake was significantly associated with reduced colorectal cancer risk (pooled RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.70-0.92; p = 0.002), while zinc intake was not statistically associated with gastric

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 400000
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Colorectal Neoplasms
  • Diet
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Esophageal Neoplasms
  • Humans
  • Risk Factors
  • Stomach Neoplasms
  • Zinc

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: zinc

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09