Junk, Processed Food And Cancer: Link Decoded

Source: NDTV / image: istockphoto.com/zeljkosantrac / Author: Parul Raizada

The ultra processed food is those formulations which have been chemically modified to be hyper-palatable by adding colors, flavors, emulsifiers etc. These are made quite attractive and promoted very well leading to a higher acceptance.

Quick access to processed ready to consume food has led to an epidemic of obesity

Over the past few decades' life has become fast paced with advancements in all spheres of living. This has also reflected in the food we consume. Smaller families, double income, longer working hours allowing limited free time and need for comfortable lifestyles has all propagated mushrooming of an industry providing off-the-shelf processed food right at the doorstep. This is not applicable to larger cities but is visible even at remotest part of the country. In India alone, the food processing industry is worth 158.69 billion USD and provides jobs to about 2 million people. 

In 2016 “Foresight' report stated that ‘Sales of ultra-processed food and sugar-sweetened beverages are growing, and this growth is almost exclusively found in lower-middle income and upper-middle-income countries. Sales of ultra-processed foods in East and Southeast Asia are expected to approach those of high-income countries by 2035.

The ultra processed food is those formulations which have been chemically modified to be hyper-palatable by adding colors, flavors, emulsifiers etc. These are made quite attractive and promoted very well leading to a higher acceptance. 

The overuse of these have consistently led to poor diet quality. Quick access to processed ready to consume food has led to an epidemic of obesity and other non communicable diseases. 

World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) Expert Report states that diet and nutrition is a modifiable factor for cancer prevention. Bearing witness to this year 2016-2025 is designated by the United Nations as the “Decade of Nutrition”, in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

There is sufficient epidemiological data and scientific evidence to relate the excess use of such food with increase in multiple adverse health related outcomes. 

A large French population-based study on one lakh individuals, between 2009 – 2017 was reported in British Medical Journal in 2018 stating that a 10% increase in use of ultra-processed food leads to a greater than 10% increase in all and particularly breast cancer. A small study from Northeast India also has pointed at increased risk of liver cancer in relation to processed meat products. An umbrella review published in Nature journal in 2021 pointed out a strong positive relation between amount of processed red meat consumed and incidence of Colon and lung cancer. There is also telltale evidence of increased stomach, rectum and kidney cancers.

These associations between cancer and processed food may be debated based on technicalities and scientific rigor of the study, however there is no ignoring the fact that a tangible trend exists between these two.

It is up to the public at large to decide on their dietary habits and make it as healthy as possible. However, an equally significant responsibility lies on the shoulder of the policy makers to ensure their citizens especially the younger generation continue to stay healthy and cancer free.  

Switching to unprocessed or minimally processed, high fiber, freshly cooked food, limiting the consumption of processed food and red meat may yield health dividends on the long run. The government could take measures in taxation, package labeling guidelines, marketing restrictions etc to curtail the rocketing effect of processed food on the society.

(Dr Wesley M Jose, Associate Professor, Medical Oncology and Hematology, Amrita Hospital, Kochi)