Avoid these foods linked to cancer risk
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are delicious, cheap and easily available. Due to these factors, more and more people are opting for these ultra-processed foods and consuming them in large quantities. This can not only increase your calorie intake, but also contribute to several diseases, including risk of mouth cancer.
A recent British study looked at the association between UPFs and 34 different cancers in the largest cohort study in Europe, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Researchers from the University of Bristol and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) sought to identify whether links between UPF consumption and head and neck cancers in the EPIC cohort could be explained by an increase in body fat.
About the findings
The research involved nearly half a million people for more than a decade and found that those who ate more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had a higher risk of developing cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, including the esophagus.
The researchers found that eating 10 per cent more UPFs is associated with a 23 per cent higher risk of developing head and neck cancer, and a 24 per cent higher risk of cancer of the esophagus. Here are four ultra-processed foods commonly consumed during breakfast, listed by the British Heart Foundation.
Sausages
According to Cancer Council NSW, consuming too much red and processed meat causes 18% of bowel cancer cases. As per the World Health Organization, processed meat is classified as a Class 1 carcinogen. Certain chemicals in processed meats can cause them to be carcinogenic.
Breakfast cereals
Acrylamide is a chemical that can form in some foods, including packaged breakfast cereals, during high-temperature cooking processes. Acrylamide, produced during thermal processing of carbohydrate-rich foods, is classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Mass-produced bread
A study by the Indian Centre for Science and Environment found 84% of 38 popular brands of bread laced with chemicals known to cause cancer. Potassium bromate and potassium iodate were found in samples of breads, including pav, buns, and ready-to-eat burger and pizza, lifted from across Delhi. Potassium bromate is a category 2B carcinogen that can cause cancer and Potassium iodate is known to trigger thyroid disorder.
Fruit-flavored yogurts
Some flavored yogurts may contain aspartame as a sweetener. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been declared as possibly carcinogenic to humans by WHO, though there is limited evidence of its carcinogenicity in humans.
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