Eating Causes Cancer?

Food Variables

I have already commented on how it seems we are hearing, every few months, about the effects of food on our health. Foods contain many substances, and reports come in that various foods may increase or lower cancer risk, but isolating the exact causes can be problematic.

There are so many variables that research needs to, but often does not, take into account when we read wild claims that eating this or that will prolong our life, or cut it short. For example:

• We know that most folks eat and drink a variety of foods grown in many types of soils, in differing environmental (pollution) situations, using different farming and harvesting methods.
• We know many hands, and environments affect our food during its travel from the plant to our tables.
• Foods are cooked in every way possible depending upon region and resources; from coal stoves, to wood burning pits, to electric or gas, or salted or dried to name just a few options.
• Also, we know that nutrient-effects can vary depending on how much of a particular food, or combinations of food, we eat.
• Cooks are aware that foods and their impact are also influenced by how we prep. Are food washed with contaminated water? Do you soak the food? Are foods refrigerated?
• And our bodies, from gut biome to genetics, also plays its part.

So how can we balance all these variables and then read from CNN (May 2019) that: an estimated 80,110 new cancer cases among adults 20 and older in the United States in 2015 were attributable simply to eating a poor diet. Articles have us swinging like a pendulum between a food is good or bad for us.

Follow News Reports?

Earlier in March 2019, Business Insider came out with an article that listed major hazards in daily life (mainly food) that can lead to cancer and other illnesses. In support of their data, AACR Cancer Progress Report indicates that 7,000 international research studies draw a clear picture of where dietary changes can be successful and where more work is needed in terms of our health. Somewhere there has to be a fundamental truth about these studies and results that can help guide us in making good food decisions.

• CNN identified clear dietary risks:  a low intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and dairy products and a high intake of processed meats, red meats and sugary beverages, such as soda.
• The researchers found that colon and rectal cancers had the highest number and proportion of diet-related cases, at 38.3%.
• Men 45 to 64 years old and ethnic minorities, including blacks and Hispanics, had the highest proportion of diet-associated cancer burden compared with other groups.

Bottom-Line: Take every news article as having a kernel of truth, but most likely what you are reading is overblown. UCSF states that nutrition science is an imperfect and evolving field. The food research in our newsfeeds is often overhyped and misinterpreted or skewed by human error, scientific bias, and weak methodology. So start with skepticism. I often will read the actual research documents, rather than the reports about the research so I can figure out what was actually found. Sometimes the report and the news article are saying different things.

A fundamental truth, however, is that food is a natural medicine for our bodies; providing the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and other items we need to survive. What and how food is grown, what we eat/drink, how we prep/cook, and how much we eat does affect our health. But also, so does our environment, personal general health, levels of activity, and our genetics.

Highly Processed Foods

BusinessInsider: Any food that comes in a crinkly plastic wrapper, is industrially sealed, and is designed to last for months without spoiling may be a quick on-the-go fix for a hunger pang, but it’s also most likely increasing your risk of cancer. What they meant by this is that processed foods are not healthy food, however, the actual cause of these cancers could include the sugars or salts in processed foods, the chemicals in the processing or packaging, the additives, or the lack of fiber.

What is harder to ignore is that we have consistent studies showing processed foods as not healthy. One example noted in the British Medical Journal indicates France/Brazil studied 100k adults for years and found a clear relationship of processed food to overall cancer and breast cancer.

My thoughts and readings:

• A 2016 statistic I read was that 60% of the typical American calories came from processed foods, a 2017 study notes it is 50% for Canadians and UK
• Research: People who eat organic non-processed foods lower their overall risk for cancer
• Processed foods plays a significant role in certain inflammation diseases and cancer.
• Examples of processed foods: In general, this is “fast food,” chips, or anything fried or made with hydrogenated oils or trans fat. Included too are boxed food (cornbread + cake), long shelf-life food (industrial dried fruit, packaged flavored nuts), and microwave popcorn. Cereal, granola bars, dried fruit, margarine, ketchup, frozen dinners, etc.

Bottom-line: I already am limiting my consumption of packaged and processed foods. I find eating real, whole, organic foods is a healthier eating and nutritional experience. I still eat processed foods, but only occasionally. The guideline I use is: if I look at the ingredients and do not know what they are, cannot pronounce them, or would never cook with them, I do not eat that food. I review the labels and look at fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt and what kind of oil or preservatives and artificial ingredients are being used. I do not like imitation food (margarine) or diet foods.

Fundamentally, we know from studies that highly processed foods are not good nutritious food. What they do contain can, with long term consumption, cause biological and genetic harm.

Arsenic in Rice, Water, Seafood

BusinessInsider: Arsenic, a natural part of the Earth’s crust, is toxic in its inorganic form. It’s often found in contaminated drinking water in places like Bangladesh, or in spots where irrigation systems for crops use arsenic water.

HealthLine: Arsenic is one of the world’s most toxic elements. Throughout history, it has been infiltrating the food chain and finding its way into our foods. However, this problem is now getting worse, as widespread pollution is raising the levels of arsenic in foods, posing a serious health risk. Recently, studies have detected high levels of arsenic in rice. This is a major concern, since rice is a staple food for a large part of the world’s population.

National Cancer Institute: Prolonged ingestion of arsenic-containing drinking water is associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer and skin cancer, 

My thoughts and readings:

• In parts of the world arsenic in water is the main concern, in some parts of the world relying on the sea, arsenic is in seafood, but for the majority of people in the world the problem is arsenic in rice.
• It takes a while to collect in the body, but can lead to an increased risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and brain issues. This is not only true for arsenic in rice, but for anything derived from that rice (rice ice cream, rice sugars, rice pasta, rice flour, rice cakes, etc.)
• In 2012 + 2015 Consumer Reports indicated: White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S. on average has half of the inorganic-arsenic amount of most other types of rice. They recommend adults have no more than 4.5 servings/week and children no more than 2.75 servings.

Bottom-line: Inorganic arsenic in our food and drinking water are legitimate concerns. I only consume rice from particular areas, eat mainly white and wild rice, and rinse-wash-soak rice before cooking. I also drink filtered water to remove arsenic and other compounds. Those two things I feel are helping me reduce the amount of inorganic arsenic in my food without too much effort.

The fundamental truth is that inorganic arsenic is highly toxic no matter how it is consumed. What it does is interact with and change our cells. Arsenic poisoning through food and water is real, and we can reduce our consumption of this toxin through selective purchasing, prepping, filtering, and limited consumption.

Grilling + Charred Meat

TheConversation: It’s commonly thought that food that has been burnt could cause cancer. This is in part down to one particular molecule that forms when food is cooked at high temperatures, known as acrylamide. But while the chemical is a known potential toxin and carcinogen in its industrial form, the link between consuming it in food and developing cancer is much less clear.

TheConversation:  [T]here are other chemicals in meat that could be a concern. These generally fall into two classes: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs – compounds with several hexagonal “benzene rings” fused together) such as naphthalene and benzopyrene; and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). The PAHs are formed from meat fat and juices dripping onto flames in cooking, and HCAs are generated, again in cooking, from reactions between molecules including amino-acids and sugars.

NIH: The formation of HCAs and PAHs varies by meat type, cooking method, and “doneness” level (rare, medium, or well done). Whatever the type of meat, however, meats cooked at high temperatures, especially above 300 ºF (as in grilling or pan frying), or that are cooked for a long time tend to form more HCAs.

My thoughts and readings:

• There are no consumption guidelines for how much Char is too much, but there are ways to limit exposure according to NIH.
• Again, from my reading it appears that it is not that these foods directly cause cancer, but they appear to damage DNA, which causes cancer.
• NIH suggests ways to limit grilling-based exposure: avoid grilling meat for a long time by cooking meat first before grilling; flipping meat often; removing the tasty charred areas of the meat; and not making gravy from the fond in the pan.
• The Chefs I talk with indicate they eat charred meat, but not every week. As part of an overall healthy diet, they do not believe the occasional grilled foods is harmful. It is a matter of moderation.

Bottom-line: Reduce the amount of grilling or BBQing involving burnt and smokey cooking. Moderation is important and the reduction of meat consumption is critical. I do not often eat meat, nor do I grill more than a couple times a year so my intake of charred or smoky meat is very small.

Meat in general

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports: Meat may leave behind a sugar molecule, Neu5Gc, which becomes part of our own cells when we eat meat. Our body attacks that molecule leading to inflammation and a higher lifetime risk of cancer.

Delish: While red meat does have its benefits—hello, protein and iron!—the dangers are real. Researcher Tim Key states: There’s substantial evidence that red and processed meat are linked to bowel cancer, and the World Health Organization classifies processed meat as carcinogenic and red meat as probably carcinogenic.

• The Neu5Gc studies show there is something about humans specifically eating meat that causes this issue. They also seem to show that poultry and fish have little, to no Neu5Ge molecules.
• The Chefs I talk with indicate they eat meat occasionally, but not every day. As part of an overall diet of mainly veggies with an occasional meat/fowl/fish, they believe there is limited harm. Again it is a matter of a varied diet and moderation.
• MedicalNews: Every 10 percent increase in animal protein from total calories was linked with a 2 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 8 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Bottom-line: Eat mainly veggies with occasional selective meat/fowl/fish. That is, meat from naturally fed, pasture raised animals.

The agreed fundamental truth is that, according to the World Health Org, the more you consume meat, the greater the risk of illness and death. Moderate consumption is recommended.

Processed Meats

BusinessInsider: The World Health Organization says processed meats like hot dogs, ham, bacon, and sausage can contribute to cancer risk. That’s because the meat has been treated in some way to preserve or flavor it, such as by salting, curing, fermenting, or smoking. The specific studies indicate that over a lifetime the increase in risk is 5-6%.

My readings indicate:

• Noted: In late 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans”. 
• Pickled and cured meats are processed meats
• BusinessInsider and UK’s Cancer Research: Eating lots of pickled foods can also increase your risk of stomach cancer. Salt cured fish are high in nitrates and nitrites and may cause cancer and damage DNA.

Bottom-Line: The occasional pickled foods, bacon or hot dog appear okay, but overall the suggestions again seem to say a reduced meat diet is healthier, and that we need to pay attention to the cooking technique used to prepare our foods. Also this reinforces that prepared foods are not necessarily healthy for us. If you are going to eat meat, make it fresh not processed.

Fundamentally, there is enough research to say that a diet predominantly featuring processed meats, will play a part in increased likelihood of cancer.

There are other areas of concern

Things that have a link to cancer, that I am not discussing, include: soda, diet foods, diet sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame), food dyes (red3, caramel color), foods with Glyphosate pesticide residuals, BPA laden cans (especially if housing acidic foods), and flour bleached with chlorine gas.

Items I have posted about already include:

• High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is apparently the preferred food of cancer cells (1). So if you have had cancer think twice about consuming lots of food using HFCS.
• The effects of plastic (packaging and now in our salt) on our bodies
• Scalding hot beverages linked to esophagus cancer
• The Mallard reaction producing cancer causing acrylamide
• A University study that farmed salmon are often full of cancer-causing contaminants.

I anticipate this topic will come up again, but I can only deal with these issues in small doses, for it is all so overwhelming. All these studies seem to say lots of our choices on what to eat and how to cook leads to disease, but what are the alternatives?

What to do?

I am convinced, now more than ever, that we we can follow some simple guidelines on eating that will keep us healthier. The overarching suggestion is to eat mindfully and moderately, mixing up our food items by eating what is in season, and varying our cooking techniques.

Shopping Ideas

• Buy as close to the natural, organic, whole food as you can
• Reduce buying pre-packaged, prepared, ultra processed foods
• Reduce consumption of diet foods enhanced by chemicals
• Skip buying soda + replace fruit juice with fruit
• Skip canned goods of acidic foods, look for glass containers
• Buy organic and vary the flour used for cooking and baking
• Do not buy nitrate/nitrite laden foods often

Cooking Ideas

• Do not overcook veggies (no soggy veggies, yuck)
• Mix up cooking styles so not everything is grilled or fried
• Grill occasionally, but make food less smokey, less char
• Include raw foods in our meals
• Learn to poach and steam

Food Ideas

• Eat food as close to its natural organic state as you can
• Consume more veggies + fruit, seeds + nuts, whole grains + cereals
• Try to eat by season
• Acquire a taste for cruciferous veggies (I have that! Love them.)
• Mix up your protein sources and limit meat consumption
• Get enough fiber in your foods

Eating Ideas

• Drink hot beverages, but not scalding
• Treat food as medicine, rather than use unregulated supplements (remember supplement makers are big businesses too)
• Do not think in terms of weight loss diets, think about nutrition and variation, eat colorful variety, but just not as much
• Mindful eating can provide pleasure, and allow the body to recognize it is full.
• Eat with people and have conversations to slow eating down.

There exists a World Cancer Research Fund International that is tracking all studies on food and cancer and I will monitor news from them. When I find anything note worthy I will let you know. Meanwhile, let me know what you think.

— Patty

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Recipes: A puff pastry-based apple tart, a sweet corn + chili salsa and four stuffed poblanos options for breakfast, brunch or lunch.

Tip: My family knows that when I do not feel well or am stressed, my cooking suffers. Put more positively, the better I feel, the more grounded I am, the better my food tastes. There are nights when I just cannot cook, and on those nights we eat air-popped popcorn for dinner (when I feel VERY bad), quick nachos with salsa, order out, or eat and peanut butter + jam sandwich. I think if you are not having fun during the creative, and sometimes impulsive, act of cooking, it is a night to choose other options. Cooking and eating should not be a chore, it is a delightfully creative act intended to nourish ourselves and others.