06/09/2025
🚫 Cancer-Causing (or Cancer-Linked) Foods
1. Processed Meats
Examples: Bacon, sausages, hot dogs, deli meats
Risk: Classified as Group 1 carcinogens (same category as to***co) by the WHO due to links with colorectal cancer.
Why? Contain nitrates/nitrites, preservatives that can form carcinogenic nitrosamines.
2. Red Meat (excessive consumption)
Examples: Beef, lamb, pork
Risk: Linked to colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.
Why? High-temperature cooking (like grilling) creates heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), both carcinogens.
3. Fried and Deep-Fried Foods
Examples: French fries, fried chicken, chips
Risk: Contain acrylamide, especially when starchy foods are fried at high temps.
Why? Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen.
4. Highly Processed Foods (Ultra-Processed)
Examples: Packaged snacks, sugary cereals, frozen ready meals, processed cheeses
Risk: Linked to higher overall cancer risk, especially breast and colon cancer.
Why? Low in nutrients, high in additives, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
5. Sugary Drinks and Excess Sugar
Examples: Sodas, energy drinks, sweetened juices
Risk: Linked indirectly to cancer through obesity, a known cancer risk factor.
Why? Obesity increases risk for at least 13 types of cancer.
6. Alcohol
Examples: Beer, wine, spirits
Risk: Directly linked to breast, liver, colorectal, and esophageal cancer.
Why? Ethanol breaks down into acetaldehyde, a carcinogen.
7. Charred or Burnt Foods
Examples: Burnt toast, charred meats
Risk: Contain HCAs and PAHs.
Why? Formed during high-heat cooking like grilling or barbecuing.
8. Salt-Preserved or Pickled Foods (Traditional methods)
Examples: Salted fish (especially in Asia), pickled vegetables
Risk: Linked to stomach cancer.
Why? High salt content can damage stomach lining and promote carcinogen formation.