In this prospective cohort study, evidential results were found after average 8 years follow-up that higher TG, LDL-C, and lower HDL-C may substantially increase the incidence risk of GC. These associations were only observed in males with significant dose-response trends. Moreover, interactions among TG (beyond normal) / HDL-C (below normal) / LDL-C (beyond normal) widely correspondingly affect the incident risk of GC. Thereinto, the interaction between abnormal HDL-C and LDL-C could more effectively increase the incidence risk of GC, which was 5.38 times higher than the normal group.
TC did not show any independent association with GC incidence after adjusting for multivariate (HR for Q4 = 1.01, 95%CI: 0.71–1.44). A case-control study in Korea also supported no association between TC (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.82–1.99) with GC (Pih et al. 2021). Replicated with Wulaningsih W et al., we observed similar results but from a prospective perspective that no association between TC and GC either according to quartiles (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.80–1.32) or dichotomized values (HR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.89–1.22) (2012). The reason was probably that the beneficial effects of HDL-C and the harmful effects of LDL-C on the risk of GC were offset.
Evidence of the link from serum TG to the GC prevalence has been widely demonstrated. However, the association from abnormal TG exposure to the GC incidence remained spare. Our study implicated a positive association between elevated TG and increased GC incidence (HR for Q4 = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.02–2.29). Similar to a national-based cohort study, Lim JH et al. recruited 2,722,614 participants after 8.26 years follow-up found that higher TG may increase the incidence risk of GC (HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.62–1.77) (2022). A Mendelian randomization study also provided evidence for a causal relationship between TG and GC (IVW: OR = 1.33, ρ = 0.024; ρhet = 0.378) (Wu et al. 2022). Results from studies on metabolic syndrome and GC further supported the perspectives listed above (Li et al. 2018). Contradicted results from cohort studies showed that higher TG might increase the risks of cancers, including lung, rectal, and thyroid cancer, but overall, no association has been found between TG and GC (Borena et al. 2011; Ulmer et al. 2009). The differences in conclusions may be due to ethnic differences and differences in dietary factors associated with GC. For those patients under susceptible state of gastric cancer, toxic products generated by the decomposition of superfluous TG could quickly reach through the gastric epithelium by H. pylori-damaged blood vessels, further accelerating the development of local inflammation, inflammatory infiltration develops with the release of related cytokines and eventually leads to GC (Wu et al. 2022). Besides, excessive lipolysis increased harmful free fatty acid synthetase (FAs) in the cytoplasm and promoted FA oxidation in mitochondria, which leads to the production of ROS that promote cancer progression (Osumi et al. 2016).
For cholesterol, HDL-C and LDL-C demonstrated an opposite effect on the trigging of GC. More specifically, higher HDL-C illustrated a protective effect on the incidence of GC (HR for Q4 = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.26–0.67). On the other hand, the increased incidence risk of GC among higher LDL-C was plainly visible (HR for Q4 = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.51–3.24) in our study. A similar result by Joo Hyun Lim et al. found that lower HDL-C and higher LDL-C increased the risk of GC incidence (Lim et al. 2022). Su Youn Nam et al. and Jung MK et al. further supported the results shown above that lower HDL-C (HR = 2.67 95% CI: 1.14–6.16) and higher LDL-C (HR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.06–2.85) may have a dependent and positive correlation with GC development (Nam et al. 2019; Jung et al. 2008). Experimental studies have also shown that abnormal cholesterol levels accelerate cellular damage via oxidative stress and chronic inflammatory mechanisms, which may play an important role in triggering the initiation of tumors (Nam et al. 2019). Meanwhile, accumulating evidence has established a direct role of HDL in suppressing inflammation (De Nardo et al. 2014; Namiri-Kalantari et al. 2015). HDL-C scavenges cholesterol from macrophages through lipid transporters such as ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1), and scavenger receptor class B type1(SR-B1) (Wang et al. 2007), which was thought to be part of the anti-inflammatory mechanism of HDL-C. Furthermore, previous studies suggested that exogenous LDL-C may promote tumor cell growth through LDL receptors on tumor cells (Kalaivani et al. 2014). Chushi L et al. showed that elevated cholesterol levels could induce the increased activity of the cholesterol biosynthesis rate-limiting enzymes (HMGCR) and squalene monooxygenase (SQLE), which was proved to be a promotor of the growth and migration of tumor cells, including gastric cancer (Chushi et al. 2016). These may reveal the potential mechanism that abnormal HDL-C and LDL-C could promote the progression of GC by stimulating malignant transformation via proinflammatory, oxidative stress or suppressing the immune system.
The significant association between abnormal lipid metabolism (HR of Q4 TG: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.14–2.61), (HR of Q4 HDL-C: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.22–0.55), and (HR of Q4 LDL-C: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.52–3.27) and risk of GC were only observed in males. The reasons for these ‘specifical significances in males’ may underlie the following mechanisms. Firstly, the association of GC with serum lipids differed between intestinal-type and diffuse-type gastric cancer. A previous study found that most GC cases were intestinal-type in Chinese men, while women were mostly diffuse-type (Qiu et al. 2013). Secondly, the correlations were not easily detected due to the limited number of cases in females. Although the incidence of GC has decreased in recent years, the incidence remains higher in males than females globally (Yang et al. 2021). Furthermore, female sex hormones were considered to be protective factors for GC incidence (Nie et al. 2018). Moreover, it has been reported that higher serum levels are generally associated with a higher risk of H. pylori infection, which occurs more frequently in males (Gerig et al. 2013). Thus, our results may provide a potential approach for implementing gender-specific strategies to prevent GC.
We also observed substantial interactions between different lipids in trigging GC (Fig. 2), the effect of HDL-C and LDL-C on the risk of GC changed with the increasing TG level, and elevated TG contributed to an increased risk of gastric cancer caused by hypo-HDL-C or excess LDL-C. Particularly, the risk of gastric cancer was greatest with lower HDL-C and higher LDL-C. For excess TG with hypo-HDL-C (HR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.89–4.99), excess TG with excess LDL-C (HR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.78–3.64), and hypo-HDL-C with excess LDL-C (HR = 5.38, 95% CI: 3.43–8.45). Studies have shown that TG-rich lipoproteins lead to the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-Kβ), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and other inflammatory mediators (Welty 2013). For the downstream responders of LDL-C, LDL modifiers, acetylated LDL, and NO2-LDL, may participate in the toll-like receptors (TLRs) pathway by binding to CD36 and scavenger receptor type A (SR-A) to activate the NF-Kβ factor and further lead to inflammation (Kim et al. 2011). HDL-C prevents the pro-inflammatory effects of OX-LDL by inhibiting NF-Kβ activation (Matsunaga et al. 2003). In addition, inflammatory factors, namely interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), can disrupt the negative feedback regulation mechanism of LDLR (Chen et al. 2007), which leads to the persistent expression of LDLR and the simultaneous increase of TG and LDL-C levels (Khovidhunkit et al. 2004). Therefore, a combination of any abnormalities among TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C would interactively elevate the incidence risks of GC. Thereinto, the interaction between HDL-C (below normal) and LDL-C (beyond normal) could more effectively increase the incidence risk of GC. However, its biological and physiological carcinogenic effects need to be clarified by experimental studies.
The strength of our study was based on a large cohort of 48,001 participants with 8 years follow-up to prospectively investigate the epidemiologic relationships between lipid metabolism with incidence risk of GC, taking into account the impact of life-behavior factors such as smoking, drinking, dietary habits, etc. and H. pylori, on GC. Several limitations of the present study must be mentioned. Firstly, Given the within-individual variability in serum cholesterol during long-term follow-up, a single measurement of baseline lipid levels may lead to misclassification of individual serum lipid levels. Secondly, since clinical GC cases were collected from the medical record, there may be some selection bias. Finally, there was a lack of participant information on lipid-lowering medication. In general, any prospective study, randomized clinical trials, or mechanistic studies that can replicate or contradict our study were strongly warranted to fill the understanding gap between a complex association of serum lipids and GC development.
In conclusion, lipid metabolism abnormalities could be significant risk factors for GC. A combination of any abnormalities among TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C would interactively elevate the incidence risk of GC. Our results will provide strong evidence for the relationship between abnormal lipid metabolism with GC.
Acknwledgements We are extremely grateful the researchers of the Lanzhou University School of Public Health and the clinicians from the Workers’ Hospital of Jinchuan Group Co., Ltd. who have made significant contribution to this research.