Which food causes cancer? What foods and beverages are linked to cancer?

With so much information coming at you, determining fact from fiction could be difficult in regards to what foods and beverages are linked to cancer.

It's tough to overlook the barrage of headlines warning about the connection to, well, just about everything of cancer, or so it seems. "THIS IS THE BIGGEST CANCER CAUSING FOOD, AFTER READING THIS YOU WILL NEVER EAT IT ANYMORE," yells one headline--in all-caps to boot. "Popular foods that might lead to cancer," warns another. "Top 11 cancer inducing foods to quit eating right now," implores a third. With so much information determining fact might be tough. And the simple fact is, beverages and comparatively few foods have been linked to cancer. "It's easy to fall prey to claims on TV, on the net and in posts regarding foods or beverages that cause cancer," says Crystal Langlois, RD, LD, Director of Nutrition in our clinic near Atlanta. "It is always a good strategy to rely on information from respectable sources."

For a food or drink powerful evidence must link an increased cancer risk and its consumption and reveal cancer may develop because of this. The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies carcinogens by determining how likely they are to cause cancer, together with the scale divided into five groups: known, likely, possible, unclassifiable and probably not carcinogenic.

Beverages the IARC considers carcinogenic to humans and foods include:
Alcohol

    once the body metabolizes alcohol, it produces acetaldehyde, a chemical compound which may damage DNA, which might lead to cancer.
    Research has discovered the more alcohol you consume, the greater your risk for developing certain types of cancer, such as head and neck, esophageal, liver, breast and colorectal cancers.
    Although experts recommend abstaining from alcohol to prevent the risk, Langlois says that in case you decide to indulge, limit your alcohol intake to no more than one serving per day if you're a woman, or no more than two servings per day if you're a guy. A serving is defined as 12 oz. 5 ounces. of wine or 1.5 oz. of liquor.

Processed meats

    Examples include sausage, bacon, hot dogs, pepperoni, prosciutto, beef jerky and salami, meats often preserved by curing, salting or smoking, or using chemical preservatives.
    Studies have discovered that eating 50 grams of processed meat--the equivalent of four pieces of bacon or a hot dog--daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
    Should you consume processed meats, search for nitrate- and - nitrite-free versions, which do not have additional preservatives, Langlois says.

Beverages that the IARC classifies as carcinogenic to humans and foods include:
Meats charred or cooked at high temperatures

    Meats cooked at high temperatures kind compounds that might lead to changes in your DNA, which might lead to cancer.
    Eating a large quantity of well-done, fried or barbecued meats has been associated with an increased risk of colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer.
    When preparing meat, Langlois recommends braising, baking or boiling it. Additionally meats prior to cooking can help decrease the possibility of carcinogens forming.

Red meat

    Cases are beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, goat and horse.
    Eating a large number of red meat has been connected to colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer.

Very hot drinks (hotter than 149° F)

    In america, beverages like coffee, tea and hot chocolate are generally prepared at lower temperatures, so they are usually not a concern.

As it hasn't been linked to cancer sugar isn't on these lists, but the sweetener does include. Obesity has been linked to 13 kinds of cancer, and this is an increasing concern in a country where the average American absorbs an estimated 89 grams of added sugars per day--two to three times the recommended amount. Cutting on sugars is one of the more easy changes you can make to your diet Langlois says. "A registered dietitian who specializes in oncology might also be useful in assisting you to make proper diet decisions," she says. "And, remember, it's OK to indulge in these foods and beverages from time to time. The key is moderation, and observing a well-balanced diet that's full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low in saturated fats."