How can fast food cause cancer

Get a Quote. Unfortunately, these are often unsubstantiated or poorly researched so there is a lot of unreliable information online. So, how can people find reliable information on cancer-related nutrition? This article provides information on cancer-causing and cancer-fighting foods that are backed up by research from authoritative sources — such as the World Health Organization and Cancer Research UK — so that you can eat mindfully, understanding the carcinogenic or anti-carcinogenic properties of various foods.

Eating the right foods and filling your body with the minerals and nutrients it needs to thrive is not only beneficial for your dental and gut health, but it can also help reduce your chances of developing specific types of cancer. Classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, it is connected specifically to colorectal and stomach cancer.

Examples of processed meats that have carcinogenic properties include: Frankfurter hotdogs, ham, sausages, corned beef, beef jerky and canned or lunch meat. The strongest link between eating red meat and cancer is colorectal cancer, however, there is also evidence of links to both pancreatic and prostate cancer. Cancer Council recommend that, to reduce your risk of cancer, you should eat no more than g of cooked red meat per week.

Substances called heterocyclic amines are formed in foods that are cooked at high temperatures and blackened or charred. In animal studies, heterocyclic amines are proven to cause cancer However, the evidence in human studies is not clear. Cancer Council.

Many of us enjoy the occasional drink, some of us more than others. However, the medical advice is to reduce your alcohol intake to as little as possible. Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen , which means there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.

The forms of cancer that are particularly linked to alcohol consumption are cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, breast, liver, stomach and bowel. The cancer risk associated with alcohol is thought to be dose dependent in some forms of cancer. That is, consuming one glass of wine with dinner every now and then does not have as much of a negative effect as binge-consuming several units of alcohol in one sitting. In fact, one study suggests that moderate consumption of red wine can be linked to a lower overall mortality and reduced risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Salting is a traditional method of preserving food — especially fish — frequently used in South-East Asia and China. This method of preserving unfortunately results in the production of carcinogenic by-products, meaning it can cause cancer in humans.

Chinese-style salted fish is a Group 1 carcinogen, like processed meat. Obesity is a major risk factor for several cancers , and as such it is important to maintain a healthy weight. This can be achieved through a balanced diet that incorporates all food groups. If consumed regularly, sugary drinks can lead to weight gain, and in excessive amounts, obesity. Greater body fatness is a cause of many cancers. Not only can removing or reducing carcinogenic foods in your diet help reduce the risk of cancer, it can help you maintain a healthy weight, improve your focus and general well-being.

Cancer Council tell us that fibre-rich diets, that are achieved by eating adequate servings of fruit and vegetables every day can help prevent one in six bowel cancer cases. Eating the recommended five servings of fruit and veg a day can help to reduce your risk of oesophageal, lung and some forms of mouth and throat cancer.

If you can introduce more tomato into your diet, be it raw, tinned or cooked, it decreases your chances of getting prostate cancer. This is particularly relevant to men over 50, as this is the age at which the risk of prostate cancer increases. Not only does garlic add flavour to many meals, it is also anti-carcinogenic. According to research by Cancer Council Australia , high levels of allium vegetables such as onions, garlic and shallots reduce the risk of stomach cancer.

Add more garlic into your diet, by making fresh, homemade dishes for lunches and dinners rather than shop-bought ready meals. Meals like stir-fries, chicken hot pots a warm broth with chicken, vegetables and noodles or potatoes cooked in a single pot , and oven-baked fish dishes can all be made using plenty of garlic. All the information available can be confusing and even conflicting at times.

For instance, certain high fat foods containing oils of plant origin — such as nuts and seeds — are important sources of nutrients. When eaten in moderation these have not been shown to cause weight gain and are important staples of a plant-based diet. For more on ways to reduce your cancer risk, read this post on our Lifespan Living health and wellness blog.

Go here for more in-depth information on the scientific public health guidelines for cancer prevention.. Karen Pasquazzi is a senior dietitian with the Lifespan Cancer Institute and is a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition.

The list includes: packaged bakery products snacks sugary cereals fizzy drinks deli meats and reconstituted meat products The BMJ study showed that a 10 percent increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with a 12 percent risk of overall cancer and an 11 percent risk of breast cancer. People who eat a lot of junk food have other habits that predispose them to cancer, not the least of which is smoking.

We are a long way from understanding the full implications of food processing for health and wellbeing. But they took into account many of these, including smoking but also age, sex, educational level, family history of cancer, and physical activity — and they still found the link between eating junk food and cancer.

There are several ways that processed foods could in theory raise cancer risks, they noted. Processing also creates carcinogenic compounds, such as acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Based on that data, they estimated the number of new cancer cases they could attribute to inadequate intake of seven different dietary factors, including meats, vegetables, dairy, and grains. Researchers attributed more than 67, of these cases to direct diet associations and over 12, to obesity-mediated links. Latinos, Blacks, and middle-aged men years had the highest proportion of diet-related cancer burdens than any other demographic group.

Overall, a diet with low consumption of whole grains and dairy products and high consumption of processed meats contributed to the highest cancer burden. The study found that Latinos and Blacks had a greater diet-related cancer burden when compared to their white counterparts.

An unhealthy diet is already a leading factor in causes of death, with more than , fatalities attributed to poor nutrition. Research Review.