A study released last month found that ultra-processed foods such as mass-produced bread, breakfast cereal, ham, crisps and ice cream could increase the risk of cancer. Photo / GR Stocks, Unsplash
OPINION:
When I was diagnosed with a highly aggressive form of breast cancer in September 2021, one of the first questions I asked was “why?” After all, I was in great shape.
Thanks to overhauling my already healthy diet, I’d ditched around two stone of mid-life and lockdown weight. I’d upped my hours at the gym. When I later needed my breast rebuilt after a mastectomy, my surgeon told me I was too lean for a reconstruction using my own fat, so I’d need an implant instead. What’s more, there was no history of breast cancer in my family. At 58, I felt fabulous and full of energy.
My bafflement was all the greater because, while 80 per cent of breast cancers are sensitive to oestrogen, mine wasn’t, as my doctor explained. The HRT I took for a few years in my fifties was almost certainly unrelated. My cancer, which is HER2 positive, had developed because cells in my breast had developed a spontaneous genetic blip that caused them to multiply out of control. Nobody, said the doctor, knew enough to say why it had happened to me.
But at the end of last month a new candidate popped up. A report found that ultra-processed foods such as mass-produced bread, breakfast cereal, ham, crisps and ice cream could increase the risk of cancer.
People who ate the most ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had the highest risk of developing all types of cancer, according to research from Imperial College London. Each 10 per cent rise in consumption was also associated with a six per cent increased risk of dying from cancer, with a 16 per cent increased risk for breast cancer and a 30 per cent increased risk for ovarian cancer.
People were also more likely to die from cancer if they did get it, with breast and ovarian cancers becoming up to a third more (30 per cent) deadly for those who regularly ate UPFs.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and the World Cancer Research Fund, used UK Biobank data to examine the diets of 197,426 people aged 40 to 69, tracking their health over a decade.
Dr Eszter Vamos, lead senior author for the research, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, said: “This study adds to the growing evidence that ultra-processed foods are likely to negatively impact our health, including our risk for cancer. Although our study cannot prove causation, other available evidence shows that reducing ultra-processed foods in our diet could provide important health benefits.”
The scientists believe this could be down to the additives such as emulsifiers and preservatives in processed food - not just because it makes us fat, although that’s also a problem. According to the charity Breast Cancer Now, being obese causes about two or three extra women out of every 100 to develop breast cancer at age 50 or above. In a group of 100 women with a healthy weight range, about nine will probably develop breast cancer at age 50 or above. In a group of 100 obese women, about 11 or 12 will probably develop breast cancer.
If this news drives you to drink, brace yourself. In January, The World Health Organisation issued a statement that alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including the most common types, such as bowel cancer and female breast cancer. Most alcohol-attributable deaths are due to cancer, and not only amongst heavy drinkers.
Half of all alcohol-related cancers are “light” or “moderate” drinkers, who consume less than 1.5 litres (two bottles) of wine, less than 3.5 litres of beer (six pints) or less than 450 millilitres (12 singles or 6 doubles) of spirits per week. This far-from-reckless drinking pattern is responsible for the majority of alcohol-attributable breast cancers in women. What’s more, there is no safe amount. The risk from alcohol “starts from the first drop” said Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, for the WHO.
I understand if you are recoiling from this article. When you’re a cancer survivor, the last thing you feel you need is another health scare. I couldn’t bear to watch a TV series or news reports that even mentioned cancer while I was having treatment. But even if you are perfectly healthy but enjoy a bacon sandwich, or a glass of wine, you might be metaphorically putting your fingers in your ears and chanting “la la la”.
The truth is, nobody enjoys hearing about this. It can make us feel sad, guilty and resentful. Even angry.
In 2018, the charity Cancer Research UK tried to warn people of the cancer risks associated with obesity. Adverts resembling cigarette packets bore the words: “Obesity is a cause of cancer too.” But the backlash was fierce. The charity was accused of ‘fat-shaming’. One Twitter user commented, “I genuinely don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that Cancer Research’s horrific obesity campaign will kill people.”
But if we want to live long, healthy lives, we can’t pretend that there is no risk. Scientists aren’t studying these topics to make our lives more miserable. Their job is to unravel the causes of diseases that not only cause personal misery, but also place a huge financial burden on healthcare budgets. And aside from offering us a chance to take personal responsibility for our health, their findings are important for systemic change.
When scientists first found that smoking caused lung cancer in the 1940 and 1950s, the tobacco industry spent millions on spreading deadly, pro-smoking propaganda for decades, until governments stepped in to inform us of the risks and curb tobacco advertising. Lead in petrol caused heart disease, strokes and cancer, and damaged children’s brains until it was removed after scientists revealed the scale of the harm. I believe that, similarly, the food industry has a responsibility not to put things into our food that could kill us.
Alice Davies, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, says: “In the UK around four in 10 cancers are preventable. While there are no guarantees when it comes to cancer, there’s lots we can do to reduce our risk. This includes not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, eating a healthy balanced diet, being physically active, being safe in the sun, and cutting down on alcohol.”
Dr Liz O’Riordan is a retired cancer surgeon and breast cancer survivor who now devotes much of her professional life to spreading awareness of cancer risk factors, via social media, and how lifestyle changes, such as exercising, can reduce them. She readily admits that for most people, it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact reason why we develop cancer.
“The three biggest factors for breast cancer are having breasts, getting older and plain old bad luck,” she says. But she also believes it is vital that women should understand the breast cancer risks they can control, “no matter how uncomfortable it might feel”.
Recently, after releasing videos about the risks of alcohol and obesity, Dr O’Riordan has been furiously accused of ‘triggering’ and ‘shaming’ people. She says: “Some people get offended, thinking I’m blaming them for getting breast cancer when nothing could be further from the truth. But I stand by what I said. Facts are facts. We need to get better at having these difficult conversations – not blaming ourselves for what we did in the past, when we didn’t have this information, but using it to change our lifestyles now, if we want to, and educating our children.”
Personally, I would like to know more – not less – about the factors that contribute to the development of HER2-positive breast cancer and, more particularly, anything I can do that might make it less likely to come back.
I rarely eat ultra-processed foods – my children have always complained bitterly about the lack of snacks in our house – and it appears that my type of cancer hasn’t been linked to any specific diet. However, I don’t think anyone should ever feel guilty about becoming unwell. Most of us do the best we can with the information we have and the demands on our busy lives.
So far it seems that HRT and alcohol don’t seem to raise the risk of developing my particular type of cancer either, but inactivity and obesity may do. Also, if breast cancer does come back, it can be a different type.
So, following my successful treatment, my focus is to keep my weight down with a healthy diet. I also try to exercise as much as I can. I have grown to love yoga, barre, Pilates and lifting weights. I also walk every day with my dog. This might not stop me relapsing, but I feel great. And that has to be a win.
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