Dietitian Warns About Two Food Items Available in Grocery Stores That Could Increase Cancer Risk

In this day and age, people across the globe are consuming food products, even those claiming to be organic, that are adulterated with preservatives and taste additives. Major brands spend more on marketing than on maintaining the quality of their products. More so, it barely helps the rising cases of cancer. Most people fear that consuming a list of foods, like diet soda, sugar, beef, gluten, and plant oils, probably increases the risk. Cancer dietitian Nichole Andrews, who goes by @oncology.nutrition.rd on TikTok, sharing expert health advice, boiled it down to only “two foods.” 

Andrews took the time to step into a grocery store and individually point out the two items with an increased risk of cancer. For the first food, she said alcohol increases the risk of “six different cancers.” She noted that any type of alcohol, even red wine, presumed to be healthy to an extent, consumed at “any level” will heighten the chances of the disease. Alcohol may cause liver, breast, colon, mouth/throat, and esophageal cancer. 

The second food product the cancer dietitian pointed out was processed meat. “So you see, those processed deli meats increase the risk of colorectal cancer,” she said. Though people could refrain from consuming alcohol, meat is a dietary essential for many. Therefore, as an alternative, Andrews recommended buying raw meat and cooking it at home. The processed meat products, which include bacon, sausages, and chicken breasts, are likely to cause colorectal cancer. Additionally, the expert debunked the notion that oatmeal, cereal, seed oils, diet soda, and dairy are often considered not a cancer risk.

The viral video received more than 3 million views and over 114,000 likes. People reacted to her advice with an array of insights. One person (@inquieta100) shared, “My Mom died of lung cancer, never smoked or consumed alcohol, ate fresh foods, but yeah.” Similarly, another (@babsbeach) revealed, “Everyone in my family who had cancer did not drink alcohol.” 

“Wow. You definitely work for Western medicine, and it shows. The way you did not even mention sugar or any processed food besides meats.. gross. I’ll stick to alternative medicine, thanks,” reacted a critic (@messages). Someone else (@veryanalove) said, “Well damn!!! All I eat is the sausage meat.” “It’s not the food. It’s what's in it. And what is sprayed on it during the growing process,” a viewer (@dirtpro1) hinted. Talking to Newsweek, Andrews also explained, “Obesity is a proven risk factor for at least 13 types of cancer because it promotes chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalances,” among other complications. This was in support of her claim that sugar does not increase cancer risk but rather the overall calorie imbalance it creates in the body. 

In the U.S., 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men are likely to develop cancer in their lifetime. According to an American Cancer Society (ACS) report, an estimated 20 million cancer cases were newly diagnosed in 2022, and 9.7 million fatalities from the disease. By 2050, cancers are predicted to reach about 35 million. Dr. Hyuna Sung, a sernior principal scientist, who worked on the ACS report, said, “Notably, the prevalence of major risk factors such as consumption of unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, heavy alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking are increasing in many parts of the world and will likely exacerbate the future burden of cancer barring any large scale interventions.” 

In other related news, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, had revealed her cancer diagnosis in March 2024. Thankfully, the latest update is that she has completed treatment and is now in remission. Recently King Charles' doctors had revealed he was diagnosed with some form of cancer, and he is currently undergoing treatment.

You can follow @oncology.nutrition.rd on TikTok for more videos.