10 Foods That Increase Your Risk of Cancer

There are many foods that are known to aid health as well as many categorized simply as junk food. The fact is, some of the foods which are known to be unhealthy can actually be far more harmful than a person would think.

Certain greasy or processed foods can be especially bad for a body, including potentially causing cancer. Knowing which foods should be avoided and for which reasons can make all the difference. Some food and drink that you should limit intake of (or leave out altogether!) are:

1. Processed meat. In order to make processed meat, many different chemicals have to be added to act as preservatives. Sodium nitrate is a standard ingredient in processed meats, which is known to be a carcinogenic precursor and both Sodium Nitrite and Sodium Nitrate are both linked to causing colon cancer.

2. Diet soda. When sugar is not added to a soft drink, odds are something much worse has been. Aspartame is the normal substitute for sugar in diet soda and has been found to cause cancer as well as birth defects over 20 different studies undertaken within Europe under the European Food Safety Authority.

3. Soda at all. All soda types have artificial sweeteners and flavorings and about ten teaspoons of sugar. Studies have shown that consumption of two units of soda per week greatly increase a person’s chances of pancreatic cancer.

4. Canned tomatoes. Far from an old wives tale, the idea that tomatoes are too acidic to be canned and eaten safely is quite correct. Tomatoes contain acidity, which can break down the innermost lining of cans called bisphenol-a (BPA), a component linked to cancer and other negative health issues. Only cans that are labeled BPA-free are totally safe for tomatoes.

5. GMO foods. Forget what the USDA says on this issue: What is coming from them is not in line with worldwide studies and knowledge in the area, which is quite worrying. A study undertaken in Scotland at Rowett Institute found that a study on rats showed every single research rat had pre-cancerous cell growth and damage to their immune systems after only 10 days of eating GMO food. Effects included reduced sizes in rat’s brains and livers.

6. Alcohol. There are many known health effects related to alcohol, but anyone who consumes alcohol daily (one drink every day for a woman or two drinks if you are a man) is at a risk of bowel, liver, breast, esophagus or mouth cancer.

7. Pesticide-sprayed fruits and vegetables. The truth is, all fruit and vegetables are not made the same and any plant grown with pesticides can be harmful if consumed. Fruit and vegetables are always best when they are organic. The Environmental Work Group found that there are at least 98 percent of conventional fruit and vegetables that have been grown using cancer-causing pesticides.

8. White or refined flours. Refined flour contains excess carbohydrates, which have been studied and linked to breast cancer and rapid blood sugar rise, which causes cancer cells to grow. A recent study highlighted in the Cancer Epidemiology journal linked constant consumption of refined sugar to a 220 percent increase in breast cancer.

9. Artificial sweeteners. Most studies have found that people trying to lose weight through the use of artificial sweeteners in fact gain weight. Also, just like aspartame is to sugar, any artificial sweetener is not naturally occurring, so are chemical-based and therefore not healthy.

10. Chips. Cancerous cells grow through the intake of fat, trans-fats, preservatives, artificial flavorings and sodium, not to mention chemicals. What does this have to do with chips you ask? All of these ingredients are present in the average bag of chips.

Don Colbert, M.D. has been board-certified in Family Practice for over 25 years and practices Anti-aging and Integrative medicine. He is a New York Times Bestselling author of books such as The Bible Cure Series, What Would Jesus Eat, Deadly Emotions, What You Don’t Know May be Killing You, and many more with over 10 million books sold. He is the Medical Director of the Divine Health Wellness Center in Orlando, Florida where he has treated over 50,000 patients.

For the original article, visit drcolbert.comdrcolbert.com.