A team led by researchers from the American universities of Tufts and Harvard has discovered a link between high consumption of highly processed foods and an increased risk of cancer in men.
In a study published in the British Medical Journal, scientists found that men who ate high levels of ultra-processed foods had a 29% higher risk of developing colon cancer than men who ate very little of these. foods.
The study analyzed the responses of more than 200,000 participants (159,907 women and 46,341 men from the US and Italy) in three large studies that evaluated the diet of volunteers and were conducted over 25 years. Researchers have concluded that the strongest link between colon cancer and ultra-processed foods in men comes from sausage or canned fish.
On the other hand, the team of scientists also observed that a higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, fruit-based drinks, and sweetened milk-based drinks, was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. men.
However, the case of women has been different. Of the 159,907 women who were followed, the research team documented 1,922 cases of colon cancer. In men, 1,294 cases were registered among the 46,341 participants in this study.
In this regard, one of the co-authors of the study, Fang Zhang, has pointed out that the consumption of foods such as yogurt can "oppose the harmful effect" of other types of ultra-processed foods in the case of women.