Diet is the "culprit" causing cancer.

Modern life is more affluent, yet cancer rates are increasing rapidly. According to expert research, epidemiological and experimental evidence has shown that diet is linked to 30-40% of cancers in men and up to 60% of cancers in women.

According to Professor Nguyen Ba Duc, excessive alcohol consumption, especially in combination with smoking, increases the risk of oral, esophageal, and laryngeal cancer. Stomach cancer is closely related to diets high in smoked foods, food preservatives, and low in fresh fruits and vegetables. A diet high in fat and low in fruits increases the mortality rate from prostate, colorectal, and breast cancers. While food itself does not cause cancer, food preservatives, metabolic intermediates, and substances produced by mold in food are currently carcinogenic.

Scientific studies show that some cancers of the digestive system, such as colon cancer and stomach cancer, often appear in people who eat a lot of processed and marinated meats.

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- Grilling and frying are cooking methods that use heat to cook food. Grilled and fried foods are tender, flavorful, and sweeter. They are a favorite dish for many people. However, recent scientific studies indicate that if grilled or fried foods reach temperatures above 200°C, the areas directly exposed to the flame, such as fish and meat, produce heterocyclic amine compounds, which are known to be carcinogenic.

Furthermore, when grilling fatty foods, the fat drips onto the charcoal, producing smoke that generates another carcinogenic compound: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These potentially carcinogenic substances cling to the food in the smoke, making it appear charred black.

- Smoked foods such as smoked meat, smoked liver, smoked fish, etc., contain benzopyrene, a carcinogen; consuming them in large quantities can easily lead to esophageal and stomach cancer.

Fried foods increase the risk of developing cancer, especially when they contain hydrogenated oils – trans fats. Deep frying or repeatedly frying produces a byproduct called acrylamide. Acrylamide is a potent neurotoxin with adverse effects not only on the brain but also on the reproductive system. High-carbohydrate foods like potatoes easily produce acrylamide during frying. This is why french fries, especially French fries, are considered a food that can easily cause cancer.

- Moldy foods such as rice, wheat, beans, corn, peanuts, and other foods are very susceptible to mold when contaminated. Mold produces a toxic, carcinogenic substance called streptozotocin aflatoxin.

Many people often assume that mold in dried foods is simply a harmless type of microorganism that can be wiped away and does not affect the quality of the food. However, according to experts, these molds actually carry dangerous cancer-causing agents that can be life-threatening to humans.

According to health experts, people who eat a lot of salt have twice the risk of stomach cancer compared to those who eat less salt. Therefore, you should pay attention to the amount of salt in your daily meals. Remember that processed foods contain a lot of salt and other preservatives that are not good for your health, so you should limit them as much as possible.

To reduce the risk of cancer, experts recommend eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, reducing fat intake, primarily eating lean meats and fish, replacing animal fats with vegetable oils, and minimizing consumption of salty foods and foods preserved for a long time by smoking, salting, or pickling, as these are all unhealthy. Limit alcohol consumption and, importantly, avoid excessive weight gain…

According to VnMedia-NM