Obesity Living With Foods That May Cause Cancer According to research, these should avoided (or at least limited) By Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Yasmine Ali, MD, is board-certified in cardiology. She is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and an award-winning physician writer. Learn about our editorial process Updated on February 27, 2023 Medically reviewed by Doru Paul, MD Medically reviewed by Doru Paul, MD Doru Paul, MD, is triple board-certified in medical oncology, hematology, and internal medicine. He is an associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and attending physician in the Department of Hematology and Oncology at the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Fact checked by Marley Hall Fact checked by Marley Hall LinkedIn Marley Hall is a writer and fact checker who is certified in clinical and translational research. Her work has been published in medical journals in the field of surgery, and she has received numerous awards for publication in education. Learn about our editorial process Print Red and processed meats, like hot dogs and bacon, have long been associated with causing cancer. Although more research is needed, studies have raised the same concern about foods high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat, as well as the role of alcohol. Reducing or eliminating these foods entirely may help reduce your cancer risk. It can also help you fend off obesity—a risk factor for several cancer types in and of itself. This article discusses the aforementioned foods that may cause cancer, including related research findings. It also offers a few food alternatives that may help to limit your cancer risk. Red and Processed Meats © iStockphoto Red meat offers health benefits, including protein, iron, and vitamin B12. But there's also evidence of its role in contributing to cancers such as: Breast cancer Colon cancer Esophageal cancer How meat is prepared plays a role in what cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) are released. One study found that well-done meats cooked at high heat over an open flame, as well as smoked meats, may increase prostate cancer risk. Processed meats are linked to an increased risk of developing cancer. They also tend to have more salt and saturated fat as ingredients, which may add to the risk. These foods include: Hot dogsLunchmeats, like corned beef or salamiBacon, ham, and sausageBeef jerky Consuming these foods has been associated with colon and rectal cancers, but it may also play a role in pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, stomach and esophageal cancers, and cancers of the nose and throat. Replacing Red Meat You can replace some of the red meat you consume with poultry meats, meat substitutes (like Beyond Burger), or fish. You also can try eating more beans, tofu, nuts, and legumes as protein sources in your diet. Meat and Your Risk of Cancer Sugary Foods Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock Consuming too much sugar has been linked to a number of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular (heart) disease, and more. Sugars including fructose, lactose (a natural sugar found in milk), and maltose has been implicated in different cancer types, including breast cancer. While a direct link has not been demonstrated, there is evidence of a correlation between sugary diets and cancer. One study of 101,279 people followed for nearly six years on average found that total sugar intake was associated with higher overall cancer risk. The authors concluded that people who modify their diets by reducing sugar consumption may benefit from a reduced risk of cancer. Cancer and the Keto Diet Advocates of the ketogenic diet say it may help to prevent cancer because it disrupts sugar-related metabolic processes in the body that create the conditions in which cancer cells can thrive. More research is needed to understand these effects. Ketogenic Diet and Cancer Saturated Fats Some studies suggest a link between saturated fat consumption and breast cancer, as well as how an existing cancer advances in people who consume them. Saturated fats come from red meat and other meat sources, but also dairy products, processed snack foods, and certain types of oils. They stay in solid form at room temperature, like butter and coconut oil do. Options to replace foods high in saturated fats include olive oil and foods (like some types of fish) that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, an essential nutrient. Saturated fats pose a number of additional health risks including high cholesterol and heart disease, so reducing them will benefit you in other ways, too. Can Dairy Cause Cancer? There is some research suggesting that consumption of dairy products, like cheeses, is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer. More research is needed to establish and understand the relationship between dairy products, saturated fats, and cancer risk. 3 Types of Foods High in Saturated Fat Alcohol Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages has long been implicated in liver diseases like cirrhosis. This condition increases your risk for liver cancer. Alcohol also may also play a role in other cancer diagnoses. These cancers include: Breast cancer Mouth and throat cancers Digestive tract cancers, including colon and esophageal cancers Moderate alcohol use may increase cancer risk too, but it's excessive drinking that dramatically increases your chances of developing cancer—especially if you also smoke. Heavy drinking is defined as four drinks per day (or more than 14 drinks per week) in males, or three drinks per day (or more than seven in a week) for females. Types of Cancer Caused by Drinking Alcohol Salty Foods © IgorDutina / Getty Images Salt consumption may play a role in development of certain cancer types, although studies remain inconclusive. What is clear is that salt leads to chronic inflammation, which may influence how cancer develops. A number of cancer types, including breast, prostate, liver, and stomach cancers, may be associated with salt intake because of sodium's key cellular role in the body. Blood pressure, kidney function, and even your immune system health may be affected by the salt you use, as well. Salt and Cancer Treatment High sodium levels may interfere with cancer treatment in those living with a cancer diagnosis. Research suggests that sodium in key chemical pathways can push chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast cancer out of cells and away from its targets. High-Sodium Foods to Avoid Summary The role of certain foods in causing cancer, such as red meat's impact on colon and rectal cancer risk, is well-established. But for many other foods, an understanding of the direct link between food and cancer continues to evolve. Research evidence does suggest a relationship between dairy foods and breast cancer, for example, but more study is needed. Frequently Asked Questions Do eggs cause cancer? Some studies have found that eating five eggs a week may increase the risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. However, more studies are needed to confirm this. Learn More: Are Eggs Part of a Healthy Diet? Can chicken cause cancer? It's unclear. A 2019 study found a link between eating poultry and a higher risk of prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In contrast, a same-year study found that poultry consumption reduced the risk of invasive breast cancer. Learn More: What Is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma? Does a vegan diet reduce cancer risk? The risk of getting cancer may be lower in vegans than meat eaters. One study showed that total cancer incidence was 19% lower in vegans compared with meat eaters. Learn More: How to Start a Dairy-Free Diet What foods can prevent cancer? You can help reduce your risk of cancer by eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes (beans and lentils). Learn More: Lung Cancer-Fighting Foods 21 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. Aykan NF. Red meat and colorectal cancer. Oncology Reviews. 2015;9(1). doi:10.4081/oncol.2015.288. Farvid MS, Stern MC, Norat T, et al. Consumption of red and processed meat and breast cancer incidence: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Int J Cancer. 2018;143(11):2787-2799. doi:10.1002/ijc.31848. Sinha R, Cross AJ, Graubard BI, Leitzmann MF, Schatzkin A. Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):562-71. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.6 Zhu HC, Yang X, Xu LP, et al. Meat consumption is associated with esophageal cancer risk in a meat- and cancer-histological-type dependent manner. Dig Dis Sci. 2014;59(3):664-673. doi:10.1007/s10620-013-2928-y Bellamri M, Turesky RJ. Dietary carcinogens and DNA adducts in prostate cancer. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1210:29-55. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-32656-2_2. Rohrmann S, Linseisen J. Processed meat: the real villain?. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2015;75(3):233-241. doi:10.1017/s0029665115004255 American Institute for Cancer Research. AICR Food Facts, Processed Meat. Debras C, Chazelas E, Srour B, et al. Total and added sugar intakes, sugar types, and cancer risk: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(5):1267-1279. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa246 Weber DD, Aminzadeh-Gohari S, Tulipan J, et al. Ketogenic diet in the treatment of cancer - Where do we stand? Molecular Metabolism. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2019.06.026 McCann SE, Hays J, Baumgart CW, Weiss EH, Yao S, Ambrosone CB. Usual Consumption of Specific Dairy Foods Is Associated with Breast Cancer in the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Data Bank and BioRepository. Curr Dev Nutr. 2017 Feb 16;1(3):e000422. doi:10.3945/cdn.117.000422 Yang M, Kenfield SA, Van Blarigan EL, Wilson KM, Batista JL, Sesso HD, et al. Dairy intake after prostate cancer diagnosis in relation to disease-specific and total mortality. Int J Cancer. 2015 Nov 15;137(10):2462-9. doi:10.1002/ijc.29608. Loconte NK, Brewster AM, Kaur JS, Merrill JK, Alberg AJ. Alcohol and cancer: A statement of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. J Clin Oncol. 2018;36(1):83-93. doi:10.1200/JCO.2017.76.1155 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Drinking levels defined. Allu AS, Tiriveedhi V. Cancer Salt Nostalgia. Cells. 2021 May 21;10(6):1285. doi:10.3390/cells10061285. Babaer D, Amara S, Ivy M, Zhao Y, Lammers PE, Titze JM, et al. High salt induces P-glycoprotein mediated treatment resistance in breast cancer cells through store operated calcium influx. Oncotarget. 2018 May 18;9(38):25193-25205. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.25391. Keum N, Lee D, Marchand N et al. Egg intake and cancers of the breast, ovary and prostate: a dose–response meta-analysis of prospective observational studies. British Journal of Nutrition. 2015;114(7):1099-1107. doi:10.1017/s0007114515002135 Knuppel A, Papier K, Appleby P, Key T, Perez-Cornago A. OP31 Meat intake and cancer risk: prospective analyses in UK biobank. Oral Presentations. 2019. doi:10.1136/jech-2019-ssmabstracts.31 Lo J, Park Y, Sinha R, Sandler D. Association between meat consumption and risk of breast cancer: Findings from the Sister Study. Int J Cancer. 2019;146(8):2156-2165. doi:10.1002/ijc.32547 Key T, Appleby P, Crowe F, Bradbury K, Schmidt J, Travis R. Cancer in British vegetarians: updated analyses of 4998 incident cancers in a cohort of 32,491 meat eaters, 8612 fish eaters, 18,298 vegetarians, and 2246 vegans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;100(suppl_1):378S-385S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.071266 Harvard T.H. Chan. School of Public Health. Preventing cancer. Additional Reading Amiano P, Chamosa S, Etxezarreta N, et al. Unprocessed red meat and processed meat consumption and risk of stroke in the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016;70(3):313-9. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2015.150 Nagle CM, Wilson LF, Hughes MC, et al. Cancers in Australia in 2010 attributable to the consumption of red and processed meat. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2015;39:429-33. doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12450 By Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI Yasmine Ali, MD, is board-certified in cardiology. She is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and an award-winning physician writer. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit