Association between fruit intake and non-small cell lung cancer: a Mendelian randomization study

Background: Several studies have explored the potential relationship between fruit consumption and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the impact of dried fruit on NSCLC risk remains unclear. Additionally, the presence of confounding variables in these observational investigations could not be avoided. Therefore, the aim of this article was to explore the potential relationship between fruits intake and NSCLC.

Methods: We extracted fruit intake data from the UK Biobank and utilized a genome-wide association study (GWAS) encompassing 218,792 individuals for NSCLC data. We employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the potential causal associations between fruit intake and the risk of NSCLC. The major method of analysis was the inverse variance weighted (IVW). Furthermore, we conducted sensitivity analyses to corroborate the robustness of our findings.

Results: The result of our study showed convincing evidence suggesting that dried fruit intake is effective in reducing the risk of NSCLC. Specifically, the odds ratios (ORs) for NSCLC exhibited a noteworthy reduction at 0.32 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.15, 0.67; P=0.003] with respect to dried fruit intake.

Conclusions: Our study underscores a significant correlation between dried fruit consumption and reduced NSCLC risk. In contrast, the association with fresh fruit intake did not reach statistical significance. To substantiate and validate these findings, further prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are warranted in the future.