Lifestyle interventions can reduce the risk of Barrett's esophagus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 62 studies involving 250,157 participants

Background Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a well-established risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma. Our objective was to investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions on BE risk. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science up to 30 September 2020. The summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the highest versus lowest categories of exposure were assessed. Analyses of subgroup, dose-response, sensitivity, and publication bias were conducted. Results Sixty-two studies were included that involved more than 250,157 participants and 22,608 cases. Seven lifestyle factors were investigated: smoking, alcohol, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, sleep time, medication, and diet. We observed statistically significant increased BE risks for smoking (RR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.16-1.57), alcohol intake (RR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.13-1.34), body fatness (RR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.03-1.13), less sleep time (RR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.24-2.49), and proton pump inhibitors use (RR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.17-2.29). Reduced risks of BE were found for aspirin (RR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.58-0.84) and the intake of vitamin C (RR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.44-0.80), folate (RR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.31-0.71), and fiber (RR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93-0.97). The quality of most included studies was high and the subgroup analysis according to the quality score showed significant results (p < 0.05). There was no publication bias for smoking and alcohol. Although the analysis suggested significant evidence of publication bias for BMI, sensitivity analysis showed that the changes in the recalculated RRs were not significant. Conclusions The large meta-analysis revealed that lifestyle modifications could reduce the risks of BE and, consequently, esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Automated summary

A large meta-analysis including 62 studies found that smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, short sleep duration, and proton pump inhibitors use were associated with an increased risk of BE, while intake of aspirin, vitamin C, folate, and fiber could reduce the risk. Most included studies were of high quality and lifestyle modifications were shown to have a significant impact on reducing BE risk.