Are Your Favorite Foods Raising Your Cancer Risk?
It's all good and well to indulge in a juicy steak or a bag of gummy bears every now and then; however, doing it too often can have dire consequences. Many of the most popular foods from packaged snacks to deli meats have been associated with a greater risk of cancer, the second most common killer just behind heart disease in the US. While no one's expected to abstain from everything that's tasty and exciting to eat (because what sort of life would that be anyway?), it's a good idea to balance it out with a healthy, antioxidant-rich diet. Here are 20 foods that may increase your risk of developing cancer.
1. Deli Meats
Deli meats like salami, ham, and bologna are some of the worst things you can put in your body for a variety of reasons including sodium and fat content. As it relates to cancer though, the worst offender in deli meats is their nitrate content. Nitrates, which are used for curing can be converted into known carcinogens called nitrosamines in your stomach.
2. Alcohol
While classically there was the perception that moderate amounts of alcohol actually had some healthy benefits, the WHO recently stated that no amount of alcohol is healthy. It's classified as a carcinogen and has been linked to at least seven different types of cancer. It's metabolized into a toxic chemical that can damage DNA.
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3. Burnt Foods
When we burn or char foods, harmful chemicals can form. These chemicals have been shown to alter DNA in animals and some studies suggest a link to cancer in humans, but evidence isn't conclusive.
4. Red Meat
Research found that eating around 80 grams of red meat daily increases your risk of cancer by a whopping 20 percent. Re meat contains heme iron which can be converted into harmful compounds in the gut that may lead to cancer. What's more, when red meat is cooked at high heat, DNA-damaging chemicals may form.
5. Bacon
We know it's delicious, but be careful before you just start putting bacon on everything. Like other highly processed meats, bacon contains cancer-causing nitrates. What's more, the smoking process can produce PAHs which are known carcinogens.
6. Sugary Cereal
While cereals with simple ingredients that contain plenty of fiber are great for your overall health, sugary, highly processed cereals are all the opposite. They're packed with refined sugar and empty carbs that spike your blood sugar and lead to inflammation. It's been linked to colorectal and breast cancer.
7. Packaged Snacks
If you want to maintain a high quality of life well into your old age as well as any semblance of a waistline, you should avoid the snack aisle altogether. Packaged snacks like potato chips, cookies, and snack cakes have been linked to cancer, not just due to all the sugar and sodium, but the packaging chemicals, artificial additives, and preservatives too. Eating them regularly can cause chronic inflammation which is a known cancer risk.
8. Fried Foods
We love a steak frites as much as the next person, but try to keep your French bistro trips to the minimum as that whole dish is just a plate full of cacinogens. Beyond just being greasy and fatty, fried foods contain harmful chemical compounds that have been linked to several types of cancer.
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9. Canned Meats
Due to the BPA in can linings, canned foods in general should be limited. However, canned meats hit a triple whammy when it comes to cancer risk because they're also preserved in carcinogenic nitrates and have a high sodium content.
10. Salted Fish
Not as popular in North America but a staple in Eastern European and Asian cultures, salted fish is dried and preserved in salt, then fermented. Needless to say, it's astronomically high in sodium which can damage the stomach lining and cause inflammation. It also contains the same harmful nitrates found in deli meats.
11. Mass-Produced Baked Goods
Mass-produced baked goods like pastries, cookies, and breads use mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids as emulsifiers. One study found those who eat these types of products regularly had a 15 percent higher chance of developing cancer. If you're craving something sweet, you'd be much better off going to a local bakery where at least you know sugar and refined carbs are the biggest villains you're dealing with.
12. Candy
In addition to being sugar bombs, candies like gummy bears, jelly beans, and lollipops contain artificial dyes that have been linked to cancer. They also contain preservatives that have been shown to cause tumors in rodents.
13. Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks like soda and energy drinks have been consistently linked to cancer because of the biological conditions they create, increasing cancer risk over time. They have tons of sugar in them which leads to inflammation and excess calorie intake. One study found that those who consume just a half cup of a sugary drink daily had an 18 percent higher risk of developing cancer.
14. Canned Tomatoes
As stated above, canned foods in general should be eaten with caution due to the BPH content in cans. However, tomatoes are especially dangerous because their acid can cause those harmful chemicals to leech out.
15. Microwave Pop Corn
Popcorn generally offers a healthier alternative to snack foods like potato chips as they aren't deep fried and are made from simple ingredients. However, microwave popcorn bags are lined with PFOAs which have been linked to certain types of cancer.
16. Farmed Salmon
While salmon is full of positive attributes, it's better to purchase wild over farmed salmon. Fish raised on a farm is often contaminated with PCBs which have been linked to liver and skin cancers.
17. White Bread
White bread, especially the mass-produced type, is high in refined carbohydrates which spike blood sugar and cause inflammation. When it's factory-made, the chances of it containing chemical preservatives, emulsifiers, and other processed ingredients are also higher.
18. Diet Sodas
Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin that, although they present a lower-calorie alternative to sugar, have a possible link to cancer. They may also disrupt appetite regulation, making you crave real sugar and carbs even more.
19. High-Fat Milk
While milk is a good source of vitamin D and calcium, its saturated fat content makes it risky. What's more, it may contain trace hormones which can increase the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers like prostate cancer.
20. Rotisserie Chicken
Rotisserie chicken, such as the kind you find at grocery stores, poses a cancer risk due to the way it's prepared. Cooking it at high heat for long periods can create PAHs and HCAs which are linked to several types of cancers in animals. Store-bought varieties may also contain harmful preservatives, a lot of sodium, and fat.
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