The global increase in early-onset cancers among adolescents and young adults has happened at the same time as the rise in the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Far beyond their poor nutritional quality, UPFs are increasingly seen as Trojan horses, complex biological agents that interfere with many functions of the human organism. In this review, we utilise the Trojan horse model to explain the quiet and building health risks from UPFs as foods that seem harmless, convenient, and affordable while secretly delivering endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), causing chronic low-grade inflammation, altering the microbiome, and producing epigenetic alterations. We bring together new proof showing that UPFs mess up hormonal signals, harm the body’s ability to fight off harmful germs, lead to an imbalance of microbes, and cause detrimental changes linked to cancer. Important components, such as bisphenols and phthalates, can migrate from containers into food, while additional ingredients and effects from cooking disrupt the normal balance of cells. These exposures are especially harmful during vulnerable developmental periods and may lay the groundwork for disease many years later. The Trojan horse model illustrates the hidden nature of UPF-related damage, not through a sudden toxin but via chronic dysregulation of metabolic, hormonal, and genetic control. This model changes focus from usual diet worries to a bigger-picture view of UPFs as causes of life-disrupting damage. Ultimately, this review aims to identify gaps in current knowledge and epidemiological approaches and highlight the need for multi-omics, long-term studies and personalised nutrition plans to assess and reduce the cancer risk associated with UPFs. Recognising UPFs as a silent disruptor is crucial in shaping public health policies and cancer prevention programs targeting younger people.
全球青少年和早发性癌症发病率上升与超加工食品消费增长同步发生。超加工食品远不止营养价值低下，正日益被视为"特洛伊木马"——这些复杂的生物制剂会干扰人体多种功能。本文运用特洛伊木马模型阐释超加工食品的潜在健康风险：这些看似无害、便捷、廉价的食品，实则暗中输送内分泌干扰物，引发慢性低度炎症，改变微生物组，并导致表观遗传变异。我们整合最新证据表明，超加工食品会扰乱激素信号传导，损害机体抵御有害微生物的能力，导致微生物失衡，并引发与癌症相关的有害改变。双酚类和邻苯二甲酸盐等重要成分可从包装迁移至食品，而加工过程中的添加剂与热效应对细胞正常平衡造成破坏。这些暴露在发育关键期危害尤甚，可能为多年后的疾病埋下隐患。特洛伊木马模型揭示了超加工食品相关危害的隐蔽性——其致病机制并非急性毒性，而是通过代谢、激素及遗传调控的慢性失调实现。该模型将关注焦点从传统饮食忧虑，转向将超加工食品视为生命系统破坏者的宏观视角。本文旨在指出现有认知与流行病学研究方法的不足，强调需要通过多组学长期研究和个性化营养方案来评估并降低超加工食品相关癌症风险。将超加工食品确认为"隐性破坏者"，对制定针对年轻群体的公共卫生政策与癌症预防计划具有至关重要的意义。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家