As claimed by the World Health Organization, cancer is the second cause of death worldwide. If we consider the WHO website’s statistics, nearly 9.6 million people succumbed to cancer in 2018. According to experts, the leading causes behind the increased cancer cases are our daily lifestyle and food consumption habits. From packaged food items to adulterated products, they create a disbalance in the body leading to various health problems, and cancer is undoubtedly one of the most severe health problems. These nine specific food items could directly expose you to a life-threatening disease like cancer, and you should avoid them as much as possible.
Nine food items that expose you to the risk of cancer are as follows:
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Microwave Popcorn
We all enjoy binge-watching with a bag of microwave popcorn in our hands as we believe that it makes up for the perfect movie-time munch, but after knowing the surprising fact behind it, you will surely think differently about it. The popcorn bag usually used to prepare popcorn in the microwave is lined with a PFOA product from the inside. PFOA is one of the leading causes of developing prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and even cancer in the liver and bladder. When you make popcorn out of those bags, the PFOA saturates the corn kernels, which are already coated heavily in artificial butter loaded with trans fat. Therefore, popcorn is considered a healthy snack only when prepared yourself on the stove and not in the microwave popcorn bags.
Soda
It is no surprise that consuming too much of aerated drinks can severely deteriorate your health. Soda not only affects your waistline but also develops a greater risk of cancer. It contains a high amount of sugar, which aggressively multiplies the cancer cells present in the body. Additionally, excessive consumption of soda also leads to obesity, which is again a leading cause of cancer. An extensive study conducted by the Cancer Council Victoria and the University of Melbourne examined that among more than 35,000 Victorians, 3,283 cancer cases were diagnosed within 12 years. All these cases were of obesity-related cancers developing in the ovaries, pancreas, and even the gallbladder.
Potato Chips
Potatoes have a large amount of starch, and starchy food targets lung cancer in the body. In addition to that, various organizations and officials have started red-flagging food items like potato chips and french fries. They contain a significant amount of acrylamide, a carcinogenic chemical in food items cooked at a high temperature. Such a chemical is extremely harmful as it increases the risk of developing cancer. In case it does not sound convincing, you should know that the same chemical is present in cigarettes and plastic products, which are undoubtedly highly harmful to human health.
White Flour
Foods containing white flour can raise blood sugar levels, which results in insulin resistance. Such an occurrence can substantially increase the risk of developing colon cancer or kidney cancer. Additionally, grains are a significant source of fiber in most people’s diets, but white flour is overly processed, which reduces the nutritional value of grains and adds a cancerous element. While the processing takes place, the white color comes from a blast of chlorine gas, which can cause severe damage to the body. Additionally, it has a high glycemic index, which raises blood glucose and insulin levels in the body to a hazardous level.
Alcohol
Overconsumption of anything negatively impacts the body, and the same applies to alcohol. An excessive amount of liquor destroys the liver and enforces tremendous pressure on the kidneys. Alcohol itself is cancerous, and therefore, what type of drink you consume does not matter. It increases the risk of various kinds of cancers such as the liver, esophagus, colon, rectum, and mouth. You may be surprised after reading that alcohol causes cancer in unexpected body parts as well. Still, the reason behind this is that, after consuming alcohol, it gets into the bloodstream. Thus, its cancerous properties can reach all the body parts, making it a life challenging consumption habit.
Processed Meat
A study conducted in 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, salami, etc., cause cancer. It also suggests that red meat items like beef, pork, and lamb can also increase cancer risk. Smoked and processed meat uses a high amount of nitrates, which are closely linked to cancer. They are also high in fat, which is terrible for the heart and digestive system. The heterocyclic amine present in processed meat is also highly cancerous. As per the Cancer Council, to prevent cancer, you should not consume more than one serving of lean meat in a day and just two servings of red meat three to four times in one week.
Canned Food
A study conducted on over 250 canned food items reported that around 40% of the cans are lined with BPA, an industrial compound used to prevent the food items from corrosion and breakage. BPA is a leading cause of congenital disabilities, diabetes, heart ailments, and obesity. To put things in the context of cancer, BPA severely interferes with the production of sexual hormones in the body. Such an interference significantly increases the risk of developing breast cancer and prostate cancer from the disruptions in the body’s hormonal system. Therefore, avoid excessive consumption of canned food to prevent the development of cancer in your body.
Farmed Salmon
Scientists suggest that those who frequently consume farmed salmon raises their risk of developing cancer. Salmon raised on fish farms are highly contaminated with the use of carcinogenic chemicals. A major study has concluded that it would be unwise for consumers to eat them more than once every other month. In case you have been eating farmed salmon and believe that your eating habit is healthy, you should know that a thorough study has confirmed that farmed salmon increases cancer risk. Besides, farmed salmon are also criticized for other problematic practices, such as the feed content, which is usually supplemented with chemicals to give the salmon fish a pink color. Wild salmons develop it naturally and, therefore, should be preferred over farmed salmon.
Pickled Food
Excessive intake of pickled food increases the risk of developing gastric cancer because of its nitrate and nitrite content, resulting in the generation of gastric carcinogens and N-nitroso compounds (78). Some experts perceive pickling as a healthy process, but health experts reflect that it is just another form of intoxicating the food. Store-bought pickled food contains nitrates, salt, and artificial coloring and is rapidly linked to digestive tract cancer that targets the stomach and colon. If you enjoy consuming pickles a lot, it is recommended to prepare them at home to ensure complete safety.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, excessive consumption of anything can negatively impact the body, if not immediately, then in the longer run. The food items mentioned above can severely affect your overall health and increase the risk of developing cancer, and therefore, its consumption should be controlled as much as possible.
