Summary Every 10 percent dietary increase boosts the risk for cancer by 12 percent.
(Online): If you worry about ever getting cancer, you might want to pass on the processed foods at your supermarket.
Every 10 percent dietary increase in packaged snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals and other highly processed foods boosts the risk for cancer by 12 percent, new research suggests.
Breast cancer, in particular, was associated with greater consumption of mass-produced, ultra-processed foods, according to the study.
While these foods may taste great, they’re often loaded with sugar, salt and fat. They also lack vitamins, fiber and other nutritional value.
But nutritional value might not explain the observed heightened cancer risk, the French researchers said.
"Our results suggest that the lower overall nutritional quality of ultra-processed foods is not the only factor involved in this relationship," said lead author Dr. Bernard Srour, of the University of Paris.
