Two Studies Link Junk Food Diet to Cancer

Medical Study: Nutrition and Cancer Linked

Two separate medical studies released yesterday have indicated a link between a junk food diet and cancer in women, reports The Daily Mail (dailymail.uk). The two separate studies demonstrated that high levels of fat and processed foods have a link to the dangerous disease.

A major European study, conducted by Umea University Hospital in Sweden, was led by Dr. Par Stattin. The 13 year study involved 65,000 adults. The European study showed that women with elevated blood sugar levels have a significant extra risk of suffering cancers of the pancreas, skin, womb and urinary tract.

High blood sugar levels are linked to diets that are unhealthy. Unhealthy diets include fatty and processed foods. These type of diets result in high blood sugar which can lead to Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in middle age. Previous research has shown that patients with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of cancer.

In the United States, a study by the National Cancer Institute showed that middle age women with a high fat diet had increased risk for breast cancer, reports Reuters (reuters.com).

The study including 188,736 post menopausal women, who reported information on their diet in the mid 1990's. The women answered questions on a 124 page "food frequency" questionnaire. Researchers found that the women who consumed 40 percent of their calories from fat had a 15 percent increase of breast cancer risk.

The report stated that the increased risk of breast cancer that was associated with a diet high in fat was seen with all kinds of fat, including saturated, mono unsaturated and polyunsaturated. The increased risk appeared to be confined to women who were not using hormone replacement therapy at the beginning of the study.

Research into the relation between diet and cancer will continue.

The National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov) recommends a website (5aday.gov) that states that "a growing body of research shows that fruits and vegetables are critical to promoting good health". The new research findings from both of the studies released yesterday suggest the importance of healthy nutrition for a healthy life.