Food Swamps and Breast Cancer Mortality: Study Reveals Alarming Connection

O analysis presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) 2023 show that women living in so-called food “deserts” and “swamps” have an increased risk of death from postmenopausal breast cancer. The initial study was published May 2023 in JAMA Oncology.

The risk of mortality from postmenopausal breast cancer was 53% higher in areas with a high food desert score and more than twice as high in those with a high food swamp score.

• Food Desert: refers to a geographical area, urban or rural, where access to fresh, healthy and economical food, such as fruits and vegetables, is limited or non-existent. Specifically, there is a lack of supermarkets, farmers markets, or other sources of healthy food within an accessible distance for residents. Food deserts are often associated with lower-income areas, where fast-food outlets or stores with processed and ultra-processed foods are more common than those offering healthy options.
• Food Swamp: describes an area where unhealthy foods (eg, fast foods, snacks, ultra-processed foods, and sugary drinks) are more abundant and accessible than healthy foods. In these areas, even if there is access to healthy foods, the predominance of unhealthy options can tip the balance towards greater consumption of unhealthy, high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods, thus contributing to multiple health problems (obesity, chronic diseases and so on).

Beyond the obvious implications at the individual level—the importance of healthy lifestyles, including nutrition, in preventing disease and maintaining well-being—the results make another case for the modifiable risk factors that people are exposed to on a daily basis but cannot control. change / requires far too much effort on an individual level – it is the role of the authorities to consider the health of the population when developing a community’s plans, oversee the food ecosystem and more.

Source: SABCS 2023 photo gallery

Experts from Augusta University in Georgia pointed out that according to the study results, although most studies so far have focused on food deserts, and both environments promote unhealthy lifestyles, food swamps are much more harmful to health.

A cross-sectional ecological analysis was performed, combining 2010–2020 postmenopausal breast cancer mortality data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) with 2012–2020 data from the US Food Environment Atlas.

• Food swamps were quantified by the ratio of fast food and convenience stores to grocery stores and farmers markets.
• Food deserts were defined by residents’ proximity to grocery stores—more than 1 mile in urban areas and more than 10 miles in rural areas—and household income relative to the federal poverty line.

Areas with high breast cancer death rates also had higher rates of poverty, adult obesity and diabetes compared to areas with low death rates.

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2024-01-02 10:46:42
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