9 Cancer-causing foods that need to be limited

Although the cause of cancer is not known with certainty, one of the factors that is known to cause it is diet. What foods can trigger cancer cells? Check out the full list below.
List of Cancer Trigger Foods
The following are some known foods contains substances that can cause cancer (carcinogens), including:
1. Red Meat
Red meat such as beef, mutton, and lamb; is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals for the body. However, consuming too much of it can increase the risk of colon cancer.
Therefore, you are advised to limit consumption of red meat to 70 grams per day. You can also lower your risk of cancer by reducing the frequency.
2. Fast Food
These foods generally contain high amounts of fat, salt and sugar. Too much consumption of these foods can lead to obesity.
Someone who is overweight tends to experience inflammation in the body. Inflammation that lasts for a long time will trigger DNA mutations so that the risk of cancer cell growth will also increase.
A study revealed that excess body fat can increase the risk of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, kidney cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
Also Read: 12 Ways to Prevent Breast Cancer Most Effectively!
3. Foods High in Salt
Salty taste does give pleasure to food. Although the body needs salt to function properly, excessive salt consumption can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
Salt can damage the stomach wall and cause lesions. If left unchecked, this can increase the risk of cancer. Damage to the stomach wall can also rot when the patient has an infection Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)
4. Processed Meat
Processed meats are all types of meat that have gone through the preservation process by being smoked, salted, or canned. Most processed meats use red meat, such as sausage, corned beef, and ham smoked beef.
Nitrite compounds used to make these processed products can form compounds that are carcinogenic, namely N-nitroso. In addition, the process of smoking meat can also cause carcinogenic compounds, namely polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
In the end, consuming too much processed meat can increases the risk of colon cancer, stomach cancer, and breast cancer.
Also Read: 10 Most Common Types of Cancer in Men
5. Foods High in Sugar and Processed Carbohydrates
Foods that contain high amounts of sugar and refined carbohydrates can indirectly increase the risk of cancer.
Consumption of foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. The body experiencing these two conditions can trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, a condition that increases the risk of cancer.
In addition, type 2 diabetes is known to increase the risk of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and endometrial cancer.
6. Fried
Fried foods are starchy foods that are cooked at high temperatures. When foods containing starch are cooked at high temperatures, a compound called acrylamide is formed.
Acrylamide is a compound known to have carcinogenic properties. A study states that these compounds can damage DNA and cause cell death.
In addition, eating too much fried food can also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. This condition can cause oxidative and inflammatory stress which triggers the growth of cancer cells.
7. Foods with Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweetener is a food additive used to give a sweet taste to food and drinks. This artificial sweetener is not digested by the body so it does not provide calories.
A study states that people who consume aspartame in large quantities have a relationship to experience lymphoma, leukemia, and brain cancer.
8. Food Contaminated with Certain Chemicals
Various chemical substances in the environment can accidentally enter the body through food.
Fish that live around the factory or shellfish that live in polluted seas can contain chemicals that are carcinogenic. If these foods are consumed, the risk of cancer will also increase.
Also Read: Being a Source of Antioxidants, Can Coffee Really Prevent Cancer?
9. Dairy Products
Cheese and yogurt are examples of dairy products that can increase the risk of prostate cancer.
Consumption of milk and dairy products can increase the amount insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). This compound is known to increase the growth of cancer cells in the prostate.
Now, that’s a variety of foods that have the potential to trigger cancer. In order to reduce the risk of this disease, you can try to reduce consumption of the various foods above and live a healthy lifestyle.
- Anonium. 2021. Red Meat And The Risk Of Bowel Cancer. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/red-meat-and-the-risk-of-bowel-cancer/. (Accessed 20 February 2023).
- Anonymous. 2023. Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/artificial-sweeteners-fact-sheet. (Accessed 20 February 2023).
- Anonymous. Cancer risk. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/18/2828/pdf. (Accessed 20 February 2023).
- Anonymous. 2022. Should I Worry About How Much Salt I Eat? https://www.wcrf-uk.org/our-blog/should-i-worry-about-how-much-salt-i-eat. (Accessed 20 February 2023).
- Kobets, Tetiana, et al. 2022. Food-Borne Chemical Carcinogens and the Evidence for Human
- Nunez, Kirsten. 2021. 6 Foods That May Increase Your Risk of Cancer. https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer/cancer-causing-foods. (Accessed 20 February 2023).
- Underferth, Danielle. 2017. How Does Obesity Cause Cancer? https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/how-does-obesity-cause-cancer.h27Z1591413.html. (Accessed 20 February 2023).
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