In the latest study of 104 980 participants every 10% increase in processed food lead to a 12% increase in the risk of overall cancer and an 11% increase for the risk of breast cancer. 18 per cent of the group was regularly eating  highly processed foods.

I see people, particularly young people who eat processed food 3 or more times a day. Junk breakfast cereals like nutrigrain, and take-aways or packet food for dinner and lunch. This is not food. These same people have a myriad of adverse health conditions and wonder why they are sick. Then later they develop cancer and wonder why. No person wants to die of cancer however with the exception of smoking, what we eat has a huge impact on our risk of cancer and of course every other form of chronic illness. This is a choice.

Processed foods often have a higher content of processed and saturated fat, added sugar and salt, along with a lower fibre and low nutrient density, with low vitamin, minerals and plant based nutrients. They contribute to inflammation, oxidation and acidosis which what feeds cancers and other chronic illness (see my book “Overcoming illness”).

In addition it has newly created carcinogenic contaminants such as acrylamide, heterocyclic amines, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as a result of heat treating the food.  Packaged processed foods might also contain contaminants from the wrapping including phthalates and bisphenol A or food additives sodium nitrite in processed meat, titanium dioxide (TiO₂, white food pigment) or emulsifiers now linked with gut illness and thought to cause cancer.

I have written extensively on all of this in my latest book “Overcoming illness”

Source

http://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k322

https://www.drdingle.com/collections/frontpage/products/overcoming-illness-pre-order