Important to Know: Foods That Significantly Increase Cancer Risk

According to a new study, the consumption of "ultra-processed" foods and drinks increases the risk of developing cancer.

The study was conducted at universities in France and Brazil and published in the British journal BMJ. It analyzed data from questionnaires filled out by 105,000 healthy adults as part of the "Nutrinet-Sante study", a long-term national nutrition research project in France. After 5 years, researchers found that 2,228 participants were diagnosed with cancer.

The data indicated that every 10% increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks was associated with a 12% increase in cancer risk, as well as an 11% increase in women's cancer risk.

Foods defined by researchers as ultra-processed include packaged snacks, packaged breads, chicken snacks, fried meat or fish, industrial desserts and candies, instant noodles and soups, frozen meals, preserved meat with additives other than salt, oil, and fat, and sugar-rich foods.

Conversely, foods defined as "moderately processed" were not found to increase cancer risk. These include rice, pasta, eggs, canned vegetables, frozen and canned legumes, sugared dried fruits, cheese without processed starch, meat and fish preserved in salt, and fresh non-packaged bread.

Researchers claim they cannot determine which processed food ingredients lead to increased cell division causing cancerous tumors. They estimate that chemicals in sweetened and carbonated drinks and processed food cause body cells to become uncontrollable and turn into cancer cells.

It may also be that a sedentary lifestyle (characteristic of many who consume processed foods), including high salt and fat food consumption and low fruit, vegetable intake, and physical activity, on its own contributed to cancerous growths.

Previous studies have already linked processed foods containing chemicals to an increased risk of cancer and other health issues. The World Health Organization declared that processed meats, including those altered through preservation, fermentation, and smoking, are suspected carcinogens. This includes sausages and cured meats.

Additionally, other studies have shown that a diet low in fiber and high in fat and salt increases cancer risk. Research also proved that consuming foods grilled over coals increases cancer risk.

It should be noted that the British Food Standards Agency reported in 2015 high amounts of acrylamide found in toasts and chips. This chemical, suspected of being carcinogenic, forms when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures, above 248°F or 120°C. Higher acrylamide levels appear in foods cooked, baked, or fried for longer at high temperatures, and also when processed on a grill.