Carcinogens in everyday foods

Toxic substances present in everyday foods in your family are the culprits causing many cancers.

Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Department of Oncology, Hanoi Medical University, said the relationship between nutrition and cancer is shown in two main aspects. First is the presence of carcinogens in foods, drinks. The second issue is the presence of substances that play a role in reducing the risk of cancer (vitamins, fiber, etc.).

According to this expert, carcinogens in food include at least the following 5 groups:

Nitrosamines

Nitrosamines and other N-nitroso compounds are experimentally carcinogenic in animals. They are commonly present in foods in small amounts.

Nitrites and nitrates are naturally found in preservatives used in meat, fish, and processed foods, and in spoiled pickles and tomatoes. Consuming large amounts of foods containing nitrites and nitrates can cause esophageal and stomach cancer.

Salted or pickled foods, such as salted fish, contain high levels of nitrosamines. High consumption in Southeast Asian countries has been linked to nasopharyngeal cancer.

Aflatoxin

Aflatoxin is produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus. This mold is commonly found in moldy grains or peanuts. Consuming these foods is a cause of liver cancer.

Additives and other contaminants in food

Western scientists have shown that using some food dyes can cause cancer, such as paradimethyl amino benzene used to dye butter "yellow butter" which can cause liver cancer.

Therefore, you should not buy foods that are brightly colored or suspected of using unauthorized colorants. You should use natural colors in food processing such as red from tomatoes, gac fruit, yellow from turmeric.

Foods containing residues and remnants of pesticides not only cause acute poisoning but also have the potential to cause cancer.

Toxic substances produced during cooking and food preservation

Certain cooking and food preservation methods can create carcinogens. Smoked foods can be contaminated with benzopyrene, a carcinogen. Grilling meat directly at high temperatures can create some products that are capable of causing genetic mutations such as dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc.

Fat and meat

Studies around the world have shown that there is a link between colorectal cancer and a diet high in fat and animal meat. A diet high in fat and meat causes cancer through the mechanism of secreting a lot of bile acids, a substance that inhibits the differentiation process of intestinal mucosal cells. The mortality rate from breast cancer also increases with the level of fat consumption.

Thus, eating is closely related to cancer. Ensuring food hygiene and safety, preventing contamination with carcinogenic chemicals in food, and having a balanced and reasonable diet are not only measures to prevent cancer but can also prevent many other diseases./.

According to VOV