Dangerous Connections Between Processed Foods and Cancer Survival

It’s no secret that a heavy diet of sugary foods and packaged foods isn’t healthy for anyone. But new research suggests the numbers are even higher for those with cancer.

Eating a high amount of highly processed foods is associated with a higher risk of death among people living with cancer for a long time, according to a study published recently in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

An Italian study identified 802 cancer survivors from a large cohort of over 24,000 people.

The researchers then tracked the cancer survivors for nearly 15 years, measuring their diets with detailed questionnaires and the NOVA food classification system. The researchers used that data to calculate how much of the highly processed food participants were eating based on both weight and daily calorie intake.

Their findings show that survivors who ate the highest amounts of highly processed foods experienced a significant increase in all-cause mortality. In other words, they were more likely to die of any cause during the study period compared to those who ate the least amount of processed foods.

What counts as over processing?

Highly processed foods are made with industrially processed ingredients, flavored, colored or chemically modified.

The researchers analyzed data for seven groups of highly processed foods:

• Artificial and sweetened beverages, artificial sweeteners and spirits
• Dairy products and cheese
• Minced meat
• Salty snacks and sweet foods
• Oily spreads and sauces
• Starchy foods
• Sugary foods and sweets

Although some highly processed foods were linked to higher mortality, there was no clear link with others. Study author Marialaura Bonaccio notes in a summary of the findings:

“The main message of the community is that the overall consumption of highly processed foods is more important than any one thing. Focusing on the whole diet and reducing the consumption of highly processed foods and changing consumption to fresh, minimally processed, home-cooked foods is a meaningful and beneficial approach to health.”

Highly processed foods often replace nutritious options like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, leaving the body with a “nutrition void” when it needs extra nutritional support to recover from a major health event such as cancer.

After the accident

Researchers suggest that the poor nutritional profile of highly processed foods – high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats while low in fiber and vitamins – can lead to chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation is a known driver of a variety of health problems, including heart disease and cancer recurrence. And additives found in these foods, such as nitrates in processed meats or artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, may contain carcinogenic elements or disrupt the gut microbiome, compromising the immune system.

The research method, which relied on participants to self-report their eating habits, has limitations. Memories can be imperfect, and food can change.

However, the findings are consistent with a growing body of evidence that these industrial foods are harmful to human biology.

Highly processed foods have previously been linked to premature aging and other chronic conditions. You can read more in “Eating This Type of Food Now Tied to Premature Aging” and “Common Food Group Linked to Memory and Behavior Problems.”

As Bonaccio points out, whether you have cancer or just want to live a healthy life, it’s important to look at nutrition labels when grocery shopping:

“Foods with more than five ingredients, or one food additive, are likely to be highly processed.”