The association between dietary fiber intake and risk of lung cancer: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
Abstract
Background: Earlier meta-analyses have examined the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and risk of lung cancer; however, no study has investigated the link with fiber. Therefore, in the present systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis we aimed to summarize available findings from prospective studies on the link between dietary fiber consumption and lung cancer risk.
Methods: Studies reporting risk estimates for the association between dietary fiber intake and lung cancer risk were included based on a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science as well as Google Scholar up to 21 April 2025. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and GRADE methodology were used to assess the risk of bias and certainty of the evidence, respectively. A random-effects model was used to combine the studies' risk estimates. Dose-response relationships were explored using a one-stage random-effects model.
Results: Prospective cohort studies with a total of 2,999,203 participants and 26,012 cases were included. According to linear dose-response analysis, each 5 g/d increase in dietary fiber intake was associated with an 8% reduction in risk of lung cancer (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.98). No evidence of a nonlinear relationship between dietary fiber intake and risk of lung cancer was observed (P-nonlinearity = 0.995). The certainty of the evidence was rated as moderate according to the GRADE rating tool.
Conclusions: The findings of this meta-analysis support the protective…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 2,999,203 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Understanding the factors influencing fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) damage in African smallholder maize fields and quantifying its impact on yield. A case study in Eastern Zimbabwe
- Alarming situation of emerging H5 and H7 avian influenza and effective control strategies
- Livestock and food security: vulnerability to population growth and climate change
- Atmosphere–ocean oxygen and productivity dynamics during early animal radiations
- Characterization of the global distribution and diversified plasmid reservoirs of the colistin resistance gene mcr-9
- The global seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in pigs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.