South Korean specialist outlines stomach cancer risk factors

A South Korean gastroenterology surgeon has detailed the main factors that raise the risk of stomach cancer, citing national cancer registry data showing the disease ranks among the five most commonly diagnosed cancers in the country. Park Sung Soo, a professor of gastroenterological surgery at Anam University Hospital, said Helicobacter pylori infection roughly doubles the risk, while heavy alcohol consumption raises it 1.5 to 2.2 times. Diets high in salt and pickled foods increase the likelihood by 1.4 to 2 times, and smoking adds a 1.3 to 1.8-fold increase, according to the specialist. Park also identified refined grains, red meat, processed meat products and high-fat dairy as additional contributors to the risk. The figures are based on South Korea's National Cancer Registry data for 2023. Park's team reviewed 507 studies from the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases, assessing the effect of 139 separate factors on stomach cancer risk.