Who isn’t afraid of the word “cancer”? We all know a family member or a
friend who had it. And indeed, according to the American Cancer Society,
more than one million people in the United States suffer from cancer
each year. According to scientific studies, certain foods such as hot dogs,
bacon, potato chips and even sugar could possibly increase the risk of
cancer. In addition, processed meat like hot dogs may also contain
harmful ingredients such as nitrites, MSG, and mechanically separated
meat (MSM).
The World Health Organization ranked processed meat such as bacon
and hot dogs alongside cigarettes as a major cause of cancer.
It’s important to note that there could be many causes of cancer and food
is just one of them. The American Cancer Society lists many possible
causes for cancer disease, including genetic factors, lifestyle factors such
as smoking, diet, lack of physical activity, certain types of inflammation
and environmental exposures to different types of chemicals and
radiation.
Eating Processed Meat is Linked to Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease
(Overview)
Back in 2015, the World Health Organization classified processed meat
as a carcinogenic to humans. This means that there is a strong scientific
evidence about it being a cause of cancer. Specifically processed meat has
been shown to increase the risk of colon cancer and potentially other
forms of cancer.
The World Health Organization ranked cured and processed meats
alongside cigarettes as a major cause of cancer. This doesn’t necessarily
say they are equally as dangerous but it describes the strength of the
scientific evidence about them being a cause of cancer.
The medical journal Circulation published a systematic review of
studies linking processed meats to a higher risk of heart disease and
diabetes.
Let’s have a look at foods and additives that increase cancer risk. This
will help you understated what foods you SHOULD eat and what foods
you should avoid (or at least reduce their consumption).
- High Intakes of Red Meat, Processed Meat (Such as Hot Dogs, Bacon)
or Charred Food
It has been found that bowel and stomach cancers are more common in
people who eat lots of red and processed meat.
Red meat includes all fresh, minced and frozen beef, pork, lamb or veal.
Also processed meats posses a risk for cancer. These have been
preserved in some way other than freezing and include bacon, ham,
salami, sausages, corned beef, black pudding, påté and tinned meat.
When you eat processed meats, you’re almost assuredly consuming
sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate, which are added to processed and
cured meats to preserve color and extend shelf life. Unfortunately, these
compounds can be converted to nitrosamines, which are also known to
cause cancer in laboratory rats (though again, the link to people is
unclear).
Also hot dogs, bacon and the like may also be preserved by methods
involving smoke or salt, which also increases the exposure to potentially
carcinogenic chemicals.
Also charred food creates chemicals that can damage our cells, making
them more likely to become cancerous. Therefore the way you cook your
meat can potentially make a big difference in the cancer risk it poses to
you. Well-done and char-grilled meats that are slightly burnt on the
outside are among the worst foods that increase the risk for cancer. You
can read more about it in my article about the best cooking methods for
cancer prevention.
Why Hot Dogs Might Be the Most Dangerous Food of All Time
Hot dogs are America’s number one treat with more than seven billion of
them consumed every summer. They hit the streets in the 19th century
when they were introduced by the German immigrants. Soon, they were
given an iconic status and became a part of many nations’ eating culture.
But when you look at what goes into hot dogs and how they are made,
you might be surprised to find out that this much loved food is lurking
with health dangers.
Hot Dogs are a Health Hazard
Frankfurters are nutritionally empty processed foods. There is nothing
natural about them and the factories produce them in a highly robotized
manner at an astonishing rate of 300,000 hot dogs per hour.
Traditionally, hot dogs are made from a mixture of pork, beef and
chicken. Leftovers from cutting steaks or pork chops and ‘edible’
slaughter by-products are used. These include fatty tissue, skins, animal
feet and heads.
These trimmings are grounded and mixed together into a thick paste. To
make the sausages taste good, a plethora of additives is added, including
excessive amounts of salt, corn syrup, monosodium glutamate (MSG),
nitrates, and other chemicals (in this regard, read my previous article
about the top 10 worst ingredients in food).
Flavorings vary depending on where the hot dogs are sold, as people in
different regions have different tastes. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) doesn’t require manufacturers to list flavorings on
the label, so just about anything goes. Flavorings include the
infamous monosodium glutamate (MSG) and carmine — a dye from the
shells of small beetles, boiled in ammonia or sodium carbonate.
Hot Dogs can Cause Cancer
Nitrates and nitrites are the next on the list of problematic additives used
in hot dogs. In the presence of high heat they combine with amines in
processed meat to form nitrosamines.
It’s the nitrosamines that have been linked to cancer — especially
colon, bladder, stomach, and pancreas cancer.
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, one hot dog a
day increases your risk for colorectal cancer by 21%. Even
organic hot dogs contain nitrite, sometimes even in higher amounts than
the conventional hot dogs.
Processed meats in general have been shown to increase the risk of
pancreatic cancer by 67% in a study by the University of Hawaii.
Hot Dogs Contain Questionable Ingredients (Such as MSM)
Hot dogs may also contain mechanically separated meat (also named
MSM). According to the USDA, this is a type of meat that has been
mechanically separated from the bone by pushing it under high pressure
through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible
meat tissue.
The United States banned the use of mechanically separated beef in
2004 due to its association with mad cow disease (Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy).
However, the USDA says that mechanically separated pork is permitted
and must be labeled as “mechanically separated pork” in the ingredients
statement. Hot dogs can contain no more than 20% mechanically
separated pork.
- Questionable Additives In Processed Foods
Many different substances are added to commercially prepared foods,
such as artificial colors, chemical flavors, salt, sugar or artificial
sweeteners (read my article about the top 10 worst ingredients in food).
These additives are constantly investigated by researchers to check if any
of them is thought to be ofa real risk. Sometimes a particular additive or
additives are thought to be of a cancer risk. Heavily salted, smoked and
pickled foods, for example, may increase the risk of stomach cancer.
This may explain why there is such a high rate of stomach cancer in
Japan, where salty, pickled foods are popular. Also an epidemiological
study published in June 2010 in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition found that a diet high in salt can increase the risk of stomach
cancer in 10%. Also artificial food coloring presents many health risks.
The research on artificial food coloring and cancer is limited to animal
studies, including mice and rats, but some claim that these dyes are toxic
- possibly toxic enough to cause cancer also in humans.
Related: 10 Snacks Made of Petroleum Based Chemicals Linked to
ADHD, Nervous System Issues, Allergies, and Even Cancer
- Sugar
The role of sugar in the formation, growth and metastasis of cancer cells
is a topic that has often divided the scientific community. There are
sources that promote the idea that sugar feeds cancer. They suggest that
eating foods with sugar makes cancer grow faster.
The opponents claim that as a result, some cancer patients avoid eating
any sugar, and eliminating beneficial foods, such as fruits, that contain
essential nutrients. They claim that there is no conclusive research on
human subjects to prove that sugar makes cancerous cells grow.
Avoiding foods with processed sugar is a good idea in general, but
eliminating foods with natural sugar won’t stop cancer cells from
dividing. According to Mayo clinic, sugar doesn’t make cancer grow
faster. All cells, including cancer cells, depend on blood sugar (glucose)
for energy. But giving more sugar to cancer cells doesn’t speed their
growth. Likewise, depriving cancer cells of sugar doesn’t slow their
growth.
Apparently, the link betvveen sugar and cancer is different — according
to Canadian Cancer Society, eating lots of sugary foods are more likely to
cause you to gain weight. Research shows that being overweight or obese
increases your risk of cancer. This is because obesity may cause changes
in hormone levels or insulin that might increase the risk of
developing breast, colon or uterine cancer. Therefore limiting the
amount of sugar in your diet is important. Diets high in sugar and
refined carbohydrates can lead to overweight and obesity, which
indirectly increases cancer risk over time.
On the other hand, there are different opinions, and I’ve written about a
new research that suggests a different approach, and you can read more
about it in my article research reveals how sugar causes cancer.
Sugar can be found not only in obvious foods such as cookies,
cakes, sodas, soft drinks and other sweets. Sugar can be found even in
pasta sauce, salad dressing and canned vegetables. So when reading
food labels, look for sugar listed as the first ingredient and be aware of
hidden sugar names: fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glucose,
dextrose. Natural sugars such as molasses, honey and maple syrup
contain beneficial antioxidants but those, too, should be consumed in
moderation
If you tend to have sugar cravings, you may want to read my article
about 13 effective ways to quit sugar. Reducing the amount of refined
sugar is also one of the 70 habits featured in my e-book 70 Powerful
Habits For A Great Health which will guide you how to take positive
steps to improve your wellness and overall health
- Fried food, French Fries, Potato Chips and Snack Food
Acrylamide
The most (in)famous of the dangerous substances found in chips
is acrylamide. French fries, potato chips and other snacks may contain
high levels of acrylamide, which is a carcinogenic substance that forms
when foods are heated at high temperatures, such as during baking,
roasting, toasting or frying. Acrylamide may be found in any food heated
to a temperature above 2500 F, but potato chips and French fries have
been found to contain the highest levels among foods tested.
Cooking methods such as frying, baking or roasting are more likely to
produce acrylamide, while boiling, steaming, and microwaving appear
less likely to do so. Longer cooking times and cooking at higher
temperatures can increase the amount of acrylamide in foods further.
Some believe that baked chips varieties are a healthier alternative.
However it turns out that baked chips may even be worse than its fried
counterpart and can contain three times higher levels
of acrylamide compared to regular chips.
The amount of acrylamide that has been deemed safe for human
consumption in drinking water is 0.12 micrograms in an 8-ounce glass
of water or 0.5 parts per billion (ppb). When the FDA
checked acrylamide content in some ofthe most common food products,
the levels were surprisingly high.
Potato chips companies promised to reduce the acrylamide content in
their products. This is easier said than done. According to the EU project,
known as Heat-Generated Food Toxicants (HEATOX), you cannot simply
eliminate acrylamide. If you heat food at high temperatures, the levels of
acrylamide can be reduced by 40% at the most when using all the
known methods.
HEATON’s scientists also established that altogether there are more than
800 heat-induced compounds, of which 52 are potential
carcinogens. Some of the dangerous substances created in high-
temperature cooking include:
Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs) — found in charred meat.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) — found in excess smoke
that can form during cooking when fat drips onto the heat source.
Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)
found in cooked,
pasteurized and sterilized food; it’s a creator of oxidative stress in the
body.
It must be mentioned that prolonged exposure to acrylamide has caused
a range of tumors in animal tests (rats and mice), whereas most of the
human studies published so far have failed to find any links between
acrylamide and various types of cancers. However many believe it has a
potential to be a human carcinogen because of those animal studies.
If you’re still worried, the FDA and other public health groups say the
best way is to follow the general advice on healthy eating, including
limiting the consumption of fried and fatty foods.
Trans fats
Another components found in these type of foods that may increase the
risk of cancer are trans fats or trans fatty acids.
These are formed when manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats via
a process called hydrogenation. And indeed, trans fats can be found in
many foods including vegetable shortening, margarine, crackers, cereals,
candies, baked goods, cookies, granola bars, chips, snack foods, salad
dressings, fried foods, fats and many other processed foods.
Trans fats cannot only increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and
type 2 diabetes, but the high intake of trans-fatty acids may have a direct
association with prostate cancer in men, which ranks number one
among the most common malignant cancers in American men.
Chronic inflammation plays an important role in the development
of prostate cancer and the association of trans-fats and chronic
inflammation may explain the link between prostate cancer and trans-
fatty acid ingestion. However, further studies and clinical trials are
- Excess Alcohol
There is a strong scientific consensus of the link between alcohol
drinking and several types of cancer. The more alcohol a person drinks
regularly over time—the higher his or her risk of developing an alcohol-
associated cancer.
According to Cancer Research UK and American Cancer society, alcohol
can increase the risk of a number of cancers, such as mouth cancer, liver
cancer, breast cancer, bowel cancer and throat cancer.
You’ve probably heard about other studies that have found that certain
substances in red wine, such as resveratrol, have anti cancer properties,
but like many thing in life moderation is the key. As part of its guidelines
on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention, the American
Cancer Society recommends that people who drink alcohol, limit their
intake to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink a day for
women.
