Everyone is aware of the dangers of cancer, but are you familiar with the dangers of cancer causing foods? If not, now’s the time to learn how your diet might affect your odds of acquiring a life-threatening form of cancer. Some ingredients in these cancer causing foods contain additives or chemicals to enhance the flavor, alter the appearance, or improve the food’s shelf life. Learn what foods contain the cancer-causing carcinogens so you can remove them from your menu and avoid them in the future.
French Fries & Potato Chips
Certain foods heated above 120 Celsius create a human carcinogen called acrylamide. Foods found to have the highest concentration of acrylamide are french fries and potato chips. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, foods containing high levels of acrylamide pose a “major concern”. High temperature cooking methods such as broiling, baking, and frying have been found to produce more acrylamide compared to boiling and microwaving. Exposure to acrylamide has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and renal cell cancer.
Coffee & Salty Foods
Coffee, sweets, and salty foods allow the cancer-causing Helicobacter pyloric (H. pylori) bacteria to proliferate inside the stomach. As a matter of fact, Helicobacter pylori is associated with up to 90% of all cases of stomach cancer. The Helicobacter pylori bacteria was first identified in 1982 by two Australian doctors, Robin Warren and Barry Marshall. Their research indicated that elevated levels of H. pylori within the digestive system was directly responsible for the development of gastric cancer and ulcers inside the stomach and intestines.
Pickled Vegetables
The correlation between pickled vegetables and cancer was first observed in China. Hospitals in China began tracking incidents of cancer over 50 years ago and discovered that certain regions were plagued with an unusually high amount of esophageal squamous cell cancer while other regions were not. Upon closer examination, these high rates of esophagus cancer could be linked to those people’s reliance on fermented vegetables for nutrients in the affected areas. More thorough research revealed that the fungi responsible for the fermenting process releases a variety of potential carcinogens during its natural life cycle.
Sugary Foods & Soda
According to a recent Italian study, excessive sugar consumption can increase the likelihood of pancreatic cancer by 78 percent. Researchers believe the elevated levels of sugar cause the body to overproduce insulin which in turn accelerates the growth and division of pancreatic cells, thus encouraging the development of cancerous cells within the pancreas. A study by Jonsson Cancer Center revealed that pancreatic cancer cells grew and reproduced at a much faster rate after being exposed to fructose (a type of sugar found in processed foods and soda).
Charred Meats
Meats cooked to the well-done stage or to the point of exhibiting a crispy brown crust have been shown to develop heterocyclic aromatic amines. The US Department of Health has labeled heterocyclic amines as carcinogenic to humans. Epidemiological studies have associated the intake of heterocyclic amines with colon cancer, rectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, and esophagus cancer. The compounds have been found to form in food when creatine, amino acids, and monosaccharides are heated together at high temperatures or cooked for long periods.
Alcohol
3.6% of all cancers are attributed to the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol consumption is known to greatly increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Alcohol also elevates the risk of mouth cancer, esophagus cancer, pharynx and larynx cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, and ovarian cancer. It is believed that acetaldehyde, a product of alcohol metabolism, impairs the natural ability of a cell to repair its DNA, thus causing cancer initiation to occur. Recent studies suggest that exposure to alcohol causes certain oncogenes in human cells to trigger the promotion of cancer.
Farmed Fish
Farmed fish have been shown to contain high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), a carcinogen that derives from man-made chemicals originally used as insulating material for electrical equipment. Although PCBs were banned within the US in 1977, they still contaminate the environment. According to the Environmental Working Group, farmed salmon contains 16 times more PCBs than wild salmon. Aside from fish, cows often ingest PCBs from contaminated grass and it’s then transferred to their fat, meat, and milk. Cases of liver cancer and malignant melanoma have been linked to consumption of PCBs.
Cured Meats
Cured meats such as bacon, sausage, and lunch meat are known to contain nitrosamines, a carcinogen linked to brain cancer in newborn children. Studies have also indicated that high consumption of cured meat increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 67 percent. It has been discovered that nitrosamines cause tumors in rats and liver cancer in Norwegian farm animals. Studies also support the association of nitrosamines with an accelerated risk of gastric cancer.