Is the acid load of the diet related to esophageal cancer? A case-control study

<h2>Summary</h2><h3>Background</h3> Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a prevalent type of cancer both globallyand in the northern regions of Iran. The relationship between dietary acid load (DAL) and EAC is not well established. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate the association between DAL and EAC. <h3>Methods</h3> This case-control study involved 120 individuals with EAC as the case group and 240 individuals without a history of malignancy as the control group. Dietary intake was assessed using a valid food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and the dietary acid load (DAL) was calculated using a valid formula. The association between DAL and EAC was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. <h3>Results</h3> The results of the current study indicate that, after adjusting for potential confounding factors, individuals with a higher potential renal acid load (PRAL) score in their diet have an elevated risk of developing EAC (OR: 2.3; 95%CI: 4.41–1.11; p:0.03). In contrast, there was no significant association between the net endogenous acid production (NEAP) index score and the risk of EAC (OR: 1.76; 95%CI: 0.9–3.24; p: 0.07). <h3>Conclusion</h3> The findings of the current study show that DAL has a direct and significant relationship with the risk of EAC.