Various Drinks and Foods that Can Trigger Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. One way that can be done to prevent this condition is to avoid certain drinks and foods. Check out the full list below.
Drinks and Food Cause Colon Cancer
Before explaining what intake causes colon cancer, basically the cause of this cancer is not known with certainty.
In general, colon cancer begins when healthy cells in the colon experience changes (mutations) in the cell’s DNA.
Healthy cells grow and divide regularly to keep the body functioning normally. But when the cell’s DNA breaks down and becomes cancer, cells continue to divide. When cells accumulate, that’s what forms tumors in the body.
Over time, cancer cells can grow to invade and destroy nearby normal tissue. In addition, cancer cells can travel to other parts of the body to form deposits (metastases).
The following are factors that cause colon cancer, including:
- Older age.
- African-American race.
- Previous history of colon cancer or polyps.
- Chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
- Have a familial history of adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and Lynch syndrome.
- Family history of colon cancer.
- Low fiber, high fat diet.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Diabetes.
- Obesity.
- Have had radiation therapy for cancer.
The following are some drinks and foods that can increase the risk of colon cancer, including:
1. Foods High in Sugar
Foods high in sugar contribute to obesity, one of the factors that increase the risk for colon cancer.
Foods with sugar provide little nutrition and usually influence you to eat more nutritious intakes such as vegetables, fruit and lean meats.
2. Foods High in Saturated Fat
The next colon cancer-causing foods are foods that are high in saturated fat such as pork and some processed foods.
Some experts suggest that healthy monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, canola oil, and omega-3 fatty acids, can be included in the colon cancer diet.
3. Baked and Fried Foods
High temperatures during roasting produce heterocyclic aromatic amines which causes cancer and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are carcinogenic. Iron and charcoal are cancer-causing agents.
In addition, fried foods include starchy foods that are processed at high temperatures and can produce acrylamide compounds which are carcinogenic (cancer-triggering).
4. Processed and Preserved Meat
World Health Organization (WHO) has classified processed meat as a carcinogen, so its consumption must be limited. Meanwhile, cured meat contains chemicals that are not friendly to the intestinal lining.
Colon sufferers have a more sensitive condition, and eating this meat only exacerbates the symptoms they are already experiencing.
5. Red Meat
Frequent consumption of red meat such as beef, lamb, and pork, can increase the risk for colon cancer. The link between cancer and red meat consumption may be due to the appearance of harmful substances when the meat is cooked.
Therefore, limit your intake of red meat to no more than 500 grams per week. Red meat is also high in unhealthy saturated fats that increase your risk breast cancer And prostate cancer aggressive.
Also Read: Is it true that frequent consumption of spicy food causes colon cancer?
6. Packaged Food
While packaged foods are healthy foods, many packages are coated with bisphenol, a chemical used in making plastics and resins. Bisphenol otherwise known as BPA is linked to breast and prostate cancer.
7. Pickles
Pickles are one of the foods that cause colon cancer because they contain preservatives and nitrates which can be carcinogenic. In particular, consumption of pickles in large quantities also increases the risk of stomach and esophageal cancer, as well as thyroid and ovarian cancer in some women.
8. Foods High in Salt
Too much salt in the diet causes high blood pressure and increases the risk of certain cancers such as stomach, nose, throat and pancreatic cancer. Someone who is at risk of experiencing this is those who are over 50 years old and suffering diabetes.
In addition, high salt intake leads to other health problems such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and obesity—another risk factor for many cancers.
9. Fast Food
Fast food is high in fat, salt and sugar. Excessive fast food consumption accompanied by a lack of physical activity can lead to excessive weight gain.
Meanwhile, people who are overweight generally experience inflammation in their bodies. So if this inflammation lasts for a long time, it can trigger cell damage and increase the risk of cancer.
10. Preserved Foods
Nitrite compounds which are generally found in preservative foods are thought to be associated with the incidence of colon cancer. Although it doesn’t specifically cause cancer, consumption of foods with preservatives is often associated with it.
Please note, nitrite compounds are often found in fast food, processed, to snacks, to extend storage time.
Also Read:11 Good Cancer Prevention Foods Consumed Every Day
11. Alcohol
Alcohol also contains several chemicals that can increase the risk of cancer, such as ethanol and acetaldehyde. Both of these compounds can interfere with the function of the immune system making it difficult to kill cells that have the potential to become cancerous.
12. Sodas
Apart from alcohol, other drinks that have the potential to cause cancer are carbonated drinks. These types of drinks contain high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, and various other chemicals. Moreover, the content of aspartame in carbonated drinks is believed to be harmful to cells in the body.
13. White Flour
The glycemic index of white flour is high, which means white flour can increase blood sugar levels and trigger diabetes. As is well known, simple sugars such as refined carbohydrates in flour are known as ‘fuel’ for cancer.
Meanwhile, processed starchy foods too increase blood sugar levels which can lead to insulin resistance. Besides causing colon cancer, insulin resistance also causes kidney cancer.
Instead, choose whole-grain bread as it can increase fiber intake and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
14. Chewing Gum
Although chewing gum is something that looks trivial, it turns out that this habit can lead to serious health problems.
Chewing gum containing titanium dioxide (TiO2; E171) may increase the risk for colon cancer.
Also Read: Is Frequent Constipation a Sign of Colon Cancer? These are the Facts
How to Prevent and Lower the Risk of Colon Cancer
In addition to avoiding or reducing the rows of foods and drinks described above, it’s a good idea to take the following steps to reduce your risk of colon cancer, including:
- Switch to organic food consumption.
- Process vegetables in a healthier way (does not contain flour).
- Eat fresh food.
- Process food made from animal products cleanly and correctly.
- Reduce the use of salt and sugar.
- Exercise regularly.
Now, that’s a complete explanation of drinks and foods that cause colon cancer and how to prevent it. Hopefully this information is useful, Healthy Friends.
- Anonymous. Colon cancer. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353669. (Accessed February 22, 2023).
- Anonymous. 7 foods to avoid in a colon cancer diet. https://www.reidhealth.org/blog/7-foods-to-avoid-in-a-colon-cancer-diet. (Accessed February 22, 2023).
- Anonymous. 3 foods that can increase your risk of colon cancer. https://www.geisinger.org/health-and-wellness/wellness-articles/2018/03/09/21/21/3-foods-that-could-increase-your-risk-of-colon-cancer. (Accessed February 22, 2023).
- Mann, Denise, MS. 2019. 10 Food Cancer Docs Try to Avoid. https://www.thehealthy.com/cancer/cancer-causing-foods/. (Accessed February 22, 2023).
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