Fast food has gotten such a hold on our lifestyles in this day and time that we alternate healthy balanced diets with them. I am a culprit doing this, many times I order take-out when I’m too tired to make a meal. Despite the efficiency that they provide, they actually put us at risk of getting cancer. WHO records in their cancer fact sheet that low fruit and vegetable intake and high body mass index are among the 5 leading behavioural habits that cause cancer. Junk food has substituted fruits and vegetable meals as people prefer them to the latter. How will the seemingly harmless and tantalizingly delicious bucket of chicken from your local chicken joint cause cancer?
A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests there’s a link between a diet full of high calorie, low nutrient foods and a higher risk of certain cancers, especially among normal-weight women above the age of 50. Researchers at the University of Arizona collected data on 92,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79 who are part of the Women’s Health Initiative study. Then, they tracked the development of a variety of cancers in women over the course of 15 years. Their data shows that eating lots of high-calorie foods, including biscuits, chocolate, and pizza, increased the risk of cancer in these women. That even goes for those who maintained a healthy weight, defined as a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9.
Junk food has a damaging impact on the cells that correlates with the lack of consumption of foods rich in antioxidants which are contained in fruits and vegetables. Researchers from Swansea University in Wales found that cells produced in cases where antioxidants weren’t consumed are damaged. Dr. Hasan Haboubi, a gastroenterologist and cancer researcher said: “We have found that lifestyle, and especially diet, is intimately linked to the health of our tiniest cells. If we have a bad diet it is rapidly reflected in the state of those cells.”
Cancer is the mutation of cells leading to abnormal growth in the cells. When cells have been damaged the risk of them mutating is increased ten-fold and hence the risk of getting cancer is higher. Consumption of junk food takes such a toll on cell production and their functioning as well. High-calorie foods like fast food can promote weight gain causing obesity and can cause 13 types of cancer. That is the risk levels we place ourselves at each day by consuming sodas, cakes, burgers, fries and all those unhealthy snacks and fast foods.
Most junk food not only lack essential nutrients that the body requires but also contains harmful fats and calories which are harmful to the body and the cells. They lead to increased production of harmful toxins in the body infusing into the bloodstream with the cells, eventually harming and mutating the cells. Constantly indulging in junk food consumption takes a toll on the body, which can lead to weakened cells. Here are 7 foods to be reduced.
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