Cancer is one of the most frightening realities that we as Americans are facing today. In fact, it’s not just Americans – people all over the world are receiving diagnoses that they have malignant cancer cells living inside of them.
However, the even more terrifying reality is that, up until now, consumers didn’t have much information as to what was causing it. All that many knew was that their friends, family, and coworkers were going to the doctor and coming back with grave news. And, up until now, it’s easy to believe this enemy is near unpreventable.
Luckily, it looks as though things may be turning around. According to Natural News:
A recently published study out of Canada showed that the total amount of cancer rates that can be linked to lifestyle and environmental factors is substantial, at almost 41 percent.
According to the researchers, “We estimated summary population attributable risk estimates for 24 risk factors (smoking [both passive and active], overweight and obesity, inadequate physical activity, diet [inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, inadequate fiber intake, excess red and processed meat consumption, salt consumption, inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake], alcohol, hormones [oral contraceptives and hormone therapy], infections [Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, human papillomavirus, Helicobacter pylori], air pollution, natural and artificial ultraviolet radiation, radon and water disinfection by-products) by combining population attributable risk estimates for each of the 24 factors that had been previously estimated.”
The researchers found out that 40.8 percent of cancer cases can be attributed to the above-mentioned 24 factors. “Tobacco smoking was responsible for the greatest cancer burden, accounting for an estimated 15.7 percent of all incident cancer cases (2,485 cases), followed by physical inactivity and excess body weight, which were responsible for an estimated 7.2 percent and 4.3 percent of incident cancer cases, respectively.”
The other factors were responsible for less than four percent of incident cancer cases each. The researchers concluded that combined with exercise and the conscious effort to avoid the environmental factors of incurring cancer, the disease is preventable. (Related: Researchers find ‘interactions’ between cancer cells and their environment.)
Also embedded in the study is the added knowledge that a big part of what is considered as a bad diet is the inclusion of too many sugars, which is common in today’s society. Nowadays, 80 percent of all packaged products contain some form of fructose.
Too much fat intake is also not good for the body. As a matter of fact, a July 2017 study that was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed that saturated fat intake is related to a risk of lung cancer in smokers and those who have quit smoking for the past 10 years. Charred and barbecued meats, on the other hand, can increase the risks of pancreatic and breast cancers.
But what takes the cake are processed foods. According to Hong Kong dietitian Sally Shi-Po Poon, “processed foods” can be said to represent any food that has been altered from its natural state in some way, for convenience’s sake.
Common processed foods include breakfast cereals, canned and frozen vegetables, bread, pasta, savory snacks such as crisps and biscuits, microwave or read-to-eat meals, bread, oils, processed meats such as luncheon meat and jerky, and drinks such as coffee, juice, and milk.
Now, it may be shocking to read this list and to realize all the processed foods that can cause cancer. This is especially surprising, as these foods and drinks make up a very large part of the average American diet.
However, it’s important to consider that not all processed foods are bad for you. For instance, milk needs to go through the process of pasteurization in order to remove the bacteria residing in it.
In addition, researchers state that minimally processed foods are OK to add into your diet. This is because they are almost as good as unprocessed foods, and that the difference between them is minimal.
