Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40713740›Full record

ReviewNutrition & metabolism2025

Association of dietary nitrate and nitrite from plant sources with digestive system cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Bangce Long, Chenglin Jiang, Zhongjian Liu, Ping Wan, Qiang Guo

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Nutrition & metabolism, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Bangce LongFaculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Chenglin JiangDepartment of Emergency Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Zhongjian LiuInstitute of Basic and Clinical Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Ping WanDepartment of Gastroenterology, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, No. 157 Jinbi Road, Kunming, 650032, Yunnan, China.
Qiang GuoFaculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, China. 9y140244@kust.edu.cn.

Funding

High level Talent Project of Yunnan Province 2023-KHRCBZ-A04
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecent studies have indicated that dietary nitrate intake from plant sources offers numerous health benefits. However, the relationships between the intake of plant-derived nitrates and nitrites and the risk of digestive system cancers (DSCs) remain unclear. This study aimed to quantify the associations between dietary nitrate and nitrite from plant sources and the risk of DSCs via a systematic review and meta-analysis.

methodsWe conducted extensive literature searches of the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and CBM databases up to April 2024. STATA 14.0 was applied for meta-regression and meta-analysis, and fixed or random effects models were used to calculate the pooled relative risks and 95% confidence intervals. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity.

resultsOur analysis included 13 articles with a total of 897,585 participants, which included 10 different types of digestive tumors. The pooled results indicated no significant association between high (median: >134.9 mg/day) [RR = 0.92; 95% CI (0.82-1.03); P = 0.14] or moderate (median: 83.0-133.1 mg/day) [RR = 0.95; 95% CI (0.89-1.02); P = 0.186] nitrate intake and DSCs. Similarly, neither high (median: >0.91 mg/day) [RR = 0.91; 95% CI (0.84-1.00); P = 0.05] nor moderate (median: 0.75 mg/day) [RR = 0.96; 95% CI (0.89-1.04); P = 0.355] nitrite intake was correlated with DSCs. However, a negative association was observed between nitrate or nitrite intake and DSCs when the data were stratified by subgroup variables such as study type, sex, region, antioxidant intake, and fibre intake. A meta-regression dose‒response analysis revealed that the risk of gastric cancer was negatively associated with the median intake of plant-derived nitrates [slope= -0.0047 per mg/day; 95% CI (-0.0086--0.0008); P = 0.022].

conclusionsPlant-derived nitrate and nitrite intakes were not significantly associated with DSCs. This relationship may be affected by subgroup variables, and a dose‒response analysis indicated that higher nitrate intake was linked to a reduced risk of gastric cancer.

Indexed as

Digestive system cancers (DSCs)Meta-analysisNitrateNitritePlant sources

Identifiers

PMID40713740
PMCPMC12297779

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.