Based on a recent study, ultra-processed foods such as prepared foods, fizzy drinks, cereals, and frozen pizza have an increased risk of causing cancer, specifically ovarian and brain cancer.
Researchers from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health carried out the study conducted in partnership with experts from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the University of Sao Paulo, and NOVA University Lisbon. It was published in the Lancet’s clinical medicine magazine on Tuesday.
The 10-year-long research of over 200,000 middle-aged people in the United Kingdom discovered that eating more ultra-processed foods was associated with a higher risk of developing cancer as well as a higher chance of dying from cancer.
There were 15,921 cancer diagnoses and 4,009 cancer-related fatalities among the 197,426 people studied.
There was a 2 percent rise in the prevalence of cancer overall and a 19 percent increase in ovarian cancer for every 10 percent increase in the amount of ultra-processed meals in a person’s diet.
These relationships persisted after controlling for socioeconomic characteristics including smoking, physical exercise, and body mass index (BMI).
Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and pulses should be included in your diet, according to Panagiota Mitrou, head of research and innovation at the World Cancer Research Fund. She added that fast food and other processed meals high in fat, carbs, or sweets should be avoided.
