Food and Cancer Prevention, Part One

Originally posted to Facebook community, The Joyous Beauty, on October 9, 2019. Updated October 17, 2023.

Note: Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or provide medical advice. Please do your own research and talk with your trusted care providers for additional information, or seek out a registered dietician.

This month, we're looking a lot at how to prevent cancer, and there's no better way to do it than with food. Studies concur that diet plays a significant "role" in cancer gene expression, or the ability to turn on and off cancer genes (pun intended). We will talk about foods to increase, but before we do that let's take a look at foods that should be avoided when it comes to preventing disease and why.

Meats:

• The International Agency of Research on Cancer deems processed meats carcinogenic (cancer-causing). These include any meats that have been treated for preservation by smoking, curing, or salting with nitrates/nitrites, such as hot dogs, bacon, and deli meats. Studies have shown that people who ate a large amount of processed meats increased their chance of colorectal cancer by 20-50%.
• Overcooked foods, particularly red meats, that are exposed to high temperatures produce heterocyclic amines (HAs) and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), both harmful compounds that contribute to inflammation in the body (and, therefore, potentially the development of cancer and other diseases).
• Farm-raised fish has been found both to lack Vitamin D and to be contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), flame retardants, pesticides, and antibiotics.

Carbohydrates:

• Conventionally-grown produce and grains have been shown to cause rapid tumor growth, both because most of them are GMO (also known as "bioengineered") and chemically treated. Top crops include corn, soybeans, and canola.
• Excessive consumption of refined flours, often found in processed boxed foods, have been shown to have as much as 220% increased risk of breast cancer development among women. High-glycemic foods also have been shown to rapidly raise blood sugar levels, which directly feed cancer cell growth and spread.
• Refined sugars are known as one of the primary foods for cancer growth and spread, especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). When coupled with a diet low in fiber and nutrients, the resulting spike in blood insulin levels is associated with increased risk of several types of cancer. Incidentally, developing adult-onset diabetes is also a precursor to developing several types of cancer. The main cause behind both is increased inflammation in the body.

Microwaved popcorn: The bags of microwaved popcorn are lined with chemicals linked with infertility and cancers of the liver, testicles, and pancreas. The EPA recognizes that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that is often found in microwave popcorn bag linings is likely carcinogenic. Who knew that forever chemicals were lurking in your favorite bag of kettle corn?!?!

Soda (any/all kinds - especially diet): Loaded with sugar, artificial food chemicals and and colorings, soda acidifies the body, an environment that literally breeds disease. Several chemicals like caramel color found in soda have also been directly linked with cancer.

Hydrogenated oils: Commonly used to preserve processed foods and keep them shelf-stable, it is a well documented fact that hydrogenated oils drastically alter cell membranes throughout the body, leading to debilitating diseases like cancer. Often, you'll see them pop up as seed oils.

I don't know about you, friend, but as my understanding of the food industry has changed – especially about how much power they have over our health and the health of future generations – even in the time since I originally wrote this post, this information gets my goat. We have not even touched the added chemicals like dyes, artificial sweeteners, gums and thickeners, and more that ends up added to processed foods. And make no mistake about it, they do indeed know what they're doing (and what they're about).

That's okay, though, because the whole point is to become informed consumers in order to make the best decision for oneself. I think most of us will agree that avoiding (highly) processed foods is the biggest first step toward a whole foods approach to nourishing our body, and in Part 2, we'll talk about what kinds of foods are super beneficial for cancer prevention.

What is your biggest takeaway? When I researched this, I had no idea about popcorn bags!

Sources:

1) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cancer-and-diet

2) https://1md.org/article/cancer-causing-foods-1md (not original source, which came from The Breast Cancer Charities of America, whose website was not working – will try to link later).