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Nutritional Factors that Increase Cancer Risks
➤ High intake of ultra-processed meats may increase the risk of
cancer:
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has classif ied processed
meat as a carcinogen, based on evidence of its link to colorectal
cancer
• However, this has been criticized due to signif icant bias in the
literature supporting this
➤ Regular alcohol consumption is a risk factor for liver and
esophageal cancer.
➤ Meal preservation and preparation methods increase exposure to
carcinogens.
• Use of nitrates or nitrites for preservation
• Smoke f rom grilling
• Cooking meats at higher temperatures (over 300 degrees)
• Cooking oils above their smoking point
Obesity Associated Cancers
• Head and neck
▶ Meningioma
▶ Thyroid cancer
• Gastrointestinal
▶ Esophageal adenocarcinoma
▶ Gastric
▶ Colorectal
▶ Gallbladder and biliary tract
▶ Hepatic
▶ Pancreatic
• Urinary system
▶ Clear renal cell carcinoma
▶ Bladder
• Hematologic
▶ Multiple myeloma
▶ Leukemia
▶ Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Male reproductive system
▶ Prostate (worse prognosis;
not increased risk)
• Female reproductive system
▶ Breast
▶ Endometrial
▶ Ovarian
▶ Cervical
