Chowing Down on Frozen Pizza Might Increase Cancer Risk
Who needs homemade when you can have convenience, right? Well, it turns out there might be a price to pay for opting for the frozen pizza route. A new study suggests that indulging in too much of this convenient, processed food could boost your risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Convenience Foods: Not Just Obesity's Pal
Researchers analyzed data from nearly half a million adults over a 14-year span and found that unhealthier eating habits, like excessive consumption of processed foods, could lead to an increased cancer risk, besides contributing to weight gain. The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, implicates processed foods as having a hand in mouth, throat, and esophageal cancers.
Processed Foods and Their Link to Cancer
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially produced, ready-to-eat products, often containing cheaper ingredients and artificial flavors to mimic fresh food. These synthetic sweeteners and hydrogenated oils are easy on the wallet and make manufacturers a pretty penny. In fact, in some countries, half of daily caloric intake comes from UPFs.
Previous research has suggested a relationship between UPFs and cancer. The German Nutrition Society explains that UPFs can harm our health in various ways, from interfering with gut bacteria to acting as carcinogens.
Freezer Favorites and Beyond
Frozen pizzas, like other UPFs, have been correlated with weight gain due to excessive calorie intake. However, the new study reveals that the link between UPFs and cancer isn't solely attributed to higher body weight, there must be other factors at play.
Some suspect artificial additives in processed foods, like emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, or contaminants from food packaging and manufacturing as potential culprits. Until further research is conducted, it's best to proceed with caution.
Prepared meals, such as frozen pizzas, have been linked to an increased cancer risk, specifically for mouth, throat, and esophagus cancers, according to the study. While the specific connection between frozen pizza consumption and these cancer types isn't yet established, reducing your overall UPF intake is a positive step towards a healthier lifestyle.
The German Nutrition Society defines UPFs as ready-to-eat products made from food-based or synthetic ingredients, often including industrially produced substances like hydrogenated oils and glucose-fructose syrup.
Although specific studies haven't definitively connected the dots between frozen pizza and the aforementioned cancers, research has uncovered a link between UPFs and an overall cancer risk, including breast cancer, suggesting that limiting processed food consumption is beneficial for various health concerns.
