J Korean Med Assoc.  2025 Feb;68(2):108-120. 10.5124/jkma.2025.68.2.108.

Cancer incidence attributable to dietary factors in Korea

• Kim JH
• Cho M
• Lee JE
• Kim J

• KMID: 2565514
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2025.68.2.108

Abstract

Background
The population attributable fraction (PAF) indicates the proportion of disease cases in a given population that can be attributed to a specific factor, assuming a causal relationship. In other words, it quantifies the extent to which that factor contributes to disease occurrence. PAF calculation methods have been applied to studies factors and several, studies have reported PAFs for dietary contributors to overall or specific cancer risks. Our team has conducted several PAF studies and presents findings on the contributions of dietary factors to cancer risk in the Korean population.
Current Concepts
For colorectal cancer, the PAF of dietary factors is 34.9%, with insufficient whole grain intake contributing the largest share (16.6%). For gastric cancer, dietary factors have a PAF of 18.6%, with excessive intake of salted vegetables contributing the most (16.0%). Notably, the PAFs for inadequate whole grain and milk consumption were higher than those reported in previous studies, while the PAFs for other dietary factors fell within the expected range. These findings emphasize the need to prioritize interventions that effectively reduce the diet-attributable cancer burden.
Discussion and Conclusion
Country-specific PAF estimates are crucial for developing effective cancer prevention strategies tailored to the Korean population. To better apply dietary PAF estimates, future studies should (1) integrate data from existing and ongoing cohort studies to determine Korea-specific relative risks, (2) estimate dietary prevalence using assessment tools that capture long-term dietary habits, and (3) establish optimal intake levels specific to the Korean context.

Keyword

Epidemiologic methods; Neoplasms; Incidence; Diet; Epidemiology; 역학적 방법론; 신생물; 발생률; 식이; 역학