# Exploring the Scientific Literature Between Ultraprocessed Foods and Cancer: A Scientometric Mapping

## TL;DR

This study maps scientific research on ultraprocessed foods and cancer from 2018 to 2023, showing growing interest and impact.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a scientometric analysis of the expanding literature linking ultraprocessed foods to cancer.

## Key findings

- The annual growth rate of literature on ultraprocessed foods and cancer was 5.96% from 2018 to 2023.
- The average number of citations per paper was 18.56, indicating high academic impact.
- International collaborations accounted for 27.23% of the research in this field.

## Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study is to explore the scientific literature between ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) and cancer using a scientometric mapping.

Materials and Methods: A Scopus search was conducted on February 4, 2024, limited to papers published between 2018 and 2023. We found 662 articles, 189 reviews, 68 book chapters, 13 conference papers, and 9 notes. The whole analysis included the evaluation of scholarly output by country/region, the number of scholarly papers produced (scholarly output), the number of views (view count), the field-weighted citation impact (FWCI).

Results: In the analysis conducted for the period 2018–2023, a dataset was examined where the annual growth rate was 5.96%, indicating a sustained expansion of the literature. The average number of citations per paper was 18.56, underlining the impact and relevance of the publications. Sixty-six single-authored papers were identified, and international collaborations accounted for 27.23% of the collaborative efforts. The most prominent authors were Inge Huybrechts, Marc J.R. Gunter, and Edward Luciano Giovannucci. In terms of impact and visibility, Harvard University leads with 52 contributions and a field-weighted impact of 3.39.

Conclusions: The literature in the field of UPFs and cancer has experienced a sustained expansion. The scientometric indicators reveal a high activity of recent academic contributions with significant impact.