Be Aware Of Carcinogens In Food

Studies on diet and it’s association on specific forms of cancer are becoming consistent in their findings nowadays. Diet that includes substantial amounts of smoked foods and meats treated with nitrates and nitrites, used as preservatives, have higher rates of cancer of the stomach and esophagus. Foods that are prepared in these ways include hot dogs, bacon, and ham.

Cooking meat, poultry, or fish at high temperature may also result in the formation of carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs). Cancer of the mouth and pharynx is promoted by drinking very hot beveragesa common practice in such places as Afghanistan and China, where studies showed, the incidence of this type of cancer is high.

Intake of pesticides may also increase the risk of cancer. In a 1992 study at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, published in the Archives of Environmental Health, women with breast cancer had 50 to 60 percent higher concentration of PCBs, DDT, and DDE in their breast tissue than women who did not have breast cancer. These chemicals can increase estrogenic activity and suppress the immune function, another reason to eat organic foods.