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Dietician advises cutting down on two common foods that are proven to cause cancer
Cancer is on the rise in young people, but there are lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk of developing the disease.
Cutting out smoking and reducing sun exposure are two big ones, but many don’t realize that what you eat is important too. A cancer dietician has warned that two common foods are proven to cause the disease – and urged everyone to cut down on them.
Dietician reveals two cancer-causing foods
Speaking on TikTok, Nichole Andrews explained that the two cancer-causing foods are: alcohol and processed meats.
This includes all types of alcohol and things like deli meats, hot dogs, sausages, bacon and beef jerky which have been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives.
“As a cancer dietician I want to let you know only two foods increase cancer risk, one of them is not even a food, and it’s so easy to modify these,” she said.
Alcohol and processed meats are consumed across the world every day, so it may come as a surprise to many that they can cause cancer.
However, both are officially listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as known carcinogens, meaning they have the potential to cause cancer in humans.
Alcohol increases your risk of six cancer types
Andrews explained that drinking alcohol increases your risk of six cancers including breast, liver, colon, mouth, throat and stomach.
The WHO states that “all types of alcoholic beverages” can cause cancer including beer, wine and spirits and says there is “no safe level” of consumption.
Ethanol, the main ingredient in alcoholic beverages causes cancer as it turns into a substance called acetaldehyde in the body which damages your DNA.
The risk starts when low levels are consumed and increases substantially the more alcohol you drink, but cancers due to alcohol are completely preventable by cutting the drink out.
“Start reducing your alcohol now,” the cancer dietician urged. “Any amount of reduction that you do is reducing cancer risk.”
Processed meat increases cancer risk by 18%
Processed meats cause cancer due to chemicals that naturally occur and are added to make them last longer in your refrigerator.
The WHO lists all kinds of processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans” as it causes one type of cancer, colorectal.
A study found that each 50-gram portion eaten daily increases a person’s risk of colorectal cancer by a staggering 18%.
According to the most recent estimates by the Global Burden of Disease Project, around 34,000 global cancer deaths per year are caused by diets high in processed meat.
“Choose more raw meats, cook them at home, use those in your sandwiches,” Andrews said. “Get the raw meats to make your sausages.”
Ultimately, it’s down to you to weigh up the risks of consuming alcohol and processed meats and decide what is best for your health.
Nichole Andrews is a registered dietician nutritionist and cancer nutrition specialist who gained her degree in Food Science & Human Nutrition from Washington State University.
